Jerusalem, (EFE)-. A march on foot from Tel Aviv, which has brought together tens of thousands of protesters, is already at the gates of Jerusalem, where tomorrow, Saturday, they have called for massive protests against the judicial reform of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who next week will approve the first law of that controversial plan in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament).
The march started Tuesday night from Tel Aviv, after massive demonstrations across the country on another “day of resistance”, and for four days they have walked short stretches to avoid the heat until tomorrow they complete the 70 kilometers to Jerusalem.
Since then, traveling along National Highway 1 that connects Israel’s two main cities, thousands of protesters have joined the march, camping to rest in national parks and kibbutzins, where people have flocked to the walkers, handing them water and food as they went.
According to the organizers, this morning there were already 10,000, but in the last hours up to 30,000 protesters have joined for today’s stage, which left Kibbutz Nashon, where they slept last night, to the town of Shoresh, a few kilometers from Jerusalem.
Even more people are expected to join the final stretch tomorrow to take part in the huge demonstration on Saturday afternoon, first in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem, and then in front of the prime minister’s residence.
The protest movement has referred to this as the “most crucial week for Israel”, when the first law of the judicial reform legislative package is passed, and mass demonstrations are expected across the country every day.
Last night, new protests quickly spread across the country, in an improvised manner, after Netanyahu confirmed in a televised speech the government’s intention to go ahead unilaterally with the judicial reform, and assured that it will “strengthen democracy”, while blaming the opposition for the lack of consensus for having broken the dialogue.
The Knesset, controlled by the right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox coalition parties, will hold an extraordinary plenary session on Sunday – when the plenary does not usually meet – to vote on the second and third reading on the bill that eliminates the doctrine of reasonableness.
After its foreseeable approval, after some debates that could last until Monday morning, it will be the first judicial reform law that goes ahead after seven months of controversy and social division, which have caused the largest protests in the history of Israel.
That doctrine allowed the Supreme Court to review and revoke government decisions and appointments if they are reasonable or not, so annulling it would eliminate the system of balance of powers inherent in a democracy, according to the detractors of the reform.