AL-QUDS (Dispatches) –
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the main U.S. diplomatic office in Tel Aviv Thursday night, calling upon the U.S. to condemn prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the regime’s judiciary.
The gathering came days after President Joe Biden called members of Netanyahu’s far-right regime “extreme” and said that supporters of the occupying regime’s West Bank settlements were “part of the problem.”
Netanyahu’s allies, who comprise the most far-right cabinet ever, have proposed a series of changes to the regime’s legal system aimed at weakening what they say are the excessive powers of unelected judges.
The proposed changes include giving Netanyahu’s allies control over the appointment of judges and the power to overturn court decisions they do not support. Protesters say the plan will destroy the regime’s fragile system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his allies.
Protesters, who are now in their seventh month of demonstrations, fear that Netanyahu’s plans will ruin the regime’s future.
On Sunday, Biden told CNN that the Zionist regime’s current cabinet has some “of the most extreme members” he has ever seen and criticized their support for West Bank settlements, built on occupied lands sought by the Palestinians for a future state. He also urged Netanyahu to show “moderation” with the judicial overhaul.
Zionist hardliners rejected Biden’s criticism. Far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a firebrand settler ringleader, said that the Zionist regime is “no longer another star in the American flag.”
Biden has so far declined to invite Netanyahu to the White House, normally a standard courtesy extended to occupying regime leaders.
Thursday’s protest in Tel Aviv was joined by others across the occupied territories, including at Netanyahu’s home in Al-Quds and his seaside villa in the town of Caesarea.
The regime’s parliament’s vote on Tuesday to move forward with a bill that would limit the supreme court’s oversight powers has given new momentum to the protests, which have swept the occupied territories since January. Protesters this week blocked major highways and disrupted operations at the regime’s main airport, and more protests are planned this weekend.