Thousands March in Israel as Netanyahu Allies Push Overhaul

Israelis wave national flags during a rally against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (AP)
Israelis wave national flags during a rally against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (AP)
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Thousands March in Israel as Netanyahu Allies Push Overhaul

Israelis wave national flags during a rally against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (AP)
Israelis wave national flags during a rally against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (AP)

Thousands of Israelis protested outside the country's parliament on Monday ahead of a preliminary vote on a bill that would give politicians greater power over appointing judges, part of a judicial overhaul proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

The committee vote, expected to take place after a stormy session, marked the opening salvo by Netanyahu and his allies in a plan that has divided the country, triggered mass protests and even drawn concern from President Joe Biden.

Trainloads of protesters arriving in Jerusalem streamed up escalators in the city’s main train station chanting, “democracy,” cheering and whistling, and waving the national flag. A few hundred others gathered in protest at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray.

In parliament, opposition lawmakers vocally protested the proposed reform to judge appointments ahead of a committee vote that would send the bill to the full parliament for a vote. During an unruly session, members of the opposition stood on the conference table and shouted as a key Netanyahu ally tried to hold the vote.

Throngs of people marched to the Knesset, the Israeli legislature, a day after the country's figurehead president urged Netanyahu's government to delay its proposed changes to the judiciary — moves that critics say will weaken the country's Supreme Court and erode democratic checks and balances.

Many protesters carried the blue and white Israeli flag and posters decrying what they saw as attack on the country's democratic institutions. “Shame! Shame!” they chanted.

Other demonstrations were held outside schools around the country.

Netanyahu and his supporters say the proposed changes are needed to rein in a judiciary that wields too much power. He and his allies took office in December after the country's fifth election in less than four years, unseating a unwieldy coalition of his opponents that held office for just over a year.

But his critics say the judicial overhaul is tantamount to a coup and will destroy Israeli democracy. They also say that Netanyahu, whose corruption trial is dragging on into its third year, is motivated by a personal grudge against the legal system and has a deep conflict of interest. Netanyahu claims he is a victim of a witch hunt by prosecutors and the justice system.



Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkish police have detained 282 suspects in the past five days in a large-scale operation targeting the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.
The suspects were detained across 51 provinces, the minister said on the X social media platform.
The detentions came despite renewed efforts between Ankara and the PKK to resolve a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. These efforts are expected to include a call by the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, for his group to lay down arms.
According to The Associated Press, Yerlikaya said those detained are suspected of providing financial support to the PKK, recruiting members, engaging in propaganda and participating in violent street protests.
Police seized two AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons during the raids, the minister said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has widened a crackdown on the opposition in recent months, arresting journalists and politicians among others.
Several elected Kurdish mayors have been ousted from office and replaced with state appointed officials for alleged links to the PKK. The latest was on Saturday, when the mayor of Van municipality in eastern Türkiye was removed from his post and replaced with the state-appointed governor.