On Saturday evening, Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv and a number of other major cities in the country to protest against the judicial reform that the Netanyahu government plans to introduce, Israeli media write.. According to organizers, about 235,000 participants took part in anti-government demonstrations..

Mass protests for the 21st week in a row against the right-wing government's controversial plans for judicial reform. This week's rallies come just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition of far-right parties passed a new two-year budget..

Organizers of mass protests call them a movement to save democracy. They say the government's plans to weaken the Supreme Court will destroy the country's checks and balances and compromise Israeli democracy..

In turn, advocates of judicial reform argue that it is necessary to rein in the Supreme Court..

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In March, Netanyahu shelved the proposed changes, but protest organizers insist they will keep demonstrating until government plans are completely cancelled..

Israel has never seen such large-scale protests. The reform of the judiciary, fixed in the coalition agreement, opened a Pandora's box. In parallel with the legal reform, the Netanyahu government plans to pass a number of laws that, according to experts, pose a threat to the very existence of liberal democracy..

What this can lead to, Igor Semivolos argues in the article “The split in Israel: will the worst forecasts come true”.