Jerusalem: Tens of thousands of protesters against the Israeli government’s judicial reform are heading toward the parliament building in Jerusalem as part of the “march of democracy.”
A column of activists, who had gathered on Saturday morning on the outskirts of the city, began marching from the Chords Bridge (Bridge of Strings) toward the Knesset to protest the adoption of the controversial judicial reform bill, the correspondent said on Saturday.
Entries to Jerusalem are blocked and the police are on duty around the area, according to the correspondent. Local media reported that such a mass protest march, which set off several days ago from Tel Aviv, is unprecedented for the country.
Protest organizers announced demonstrations at 150 locations across Israel on Saturday. A mass rally with thousands of protesters is expected to take place in the center of Tel Aviv on Kaplan Street. Protests against the judicial reform have been held nationwide for 29 consecutive weeks.
On Thursday, the Israeli parliament approved for second and third readings one of the key clauses of the reform, which limits the power of the Supreme Court to overturn government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. If the bill becomes law, the government will have more power to advertise its decisions and elect officials.
UNI/SPUTNIK
