World News | Despite suspension, Israelis protest law reforms

TEL AVIV, April 2 (AP) Thousands of Israelis protested Saturday over a controversial reform in the country, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it on hold earlier this week. The plan of the legal system.

Protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial center in the Mediterranean, for their 13th weekly demonstration, holding up Israeli flags and banners against what they said were plans to weaken the Supreme Court. Several smaller rallies were also held in other towns.

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The protests have continued since the country’s historically right-wing Netanyahu government introduced reforms.

But on Monday, Netanyahu delayed reform plans that have deeply divided Israelis, saying he wanted to buy time to find compromises with political opponents and “avoid civil war”. However, protest organizers have vowed to keep up the pressure, calling for the plans to be scrapped.

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The proposal plunged Israel into its worst domestic crisis in decades. Business leaders, top economists and a former security chief have all opposed the plan, saying it is pushing the country toward authoritarianism. Fighter pilots and reservists threatened not to go to work, and the country’s currency, the shekel, was devalued.

The plan would give Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his allies the final say in the appointment of national judges. It would also give the parliament, controlled by his allies, the power to overturn Supreme Court rulings and limit the court’s ability to review laws.

Netanyahu has argued that sweeping reforms are needed to rein in a liberal and overly interventionist court filled with unelected judges. But his opponents say the package would undermine the country’s system of checks and balances by concentrating power in the hands of Netanyahu’s allies. They also said he had a conflict of interest as a criminal defendant. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)