Algeria Protesters Demand Independent Judiciary

Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)
Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)
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Algeria Protesters Demand Independent Judiciary

Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)
Algerians march during a demonstration in Algeria's capital, Algiers, on March 19, 2021. (AFP)

Thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of cities across Algeria Friday, demanding an independent judiciary as dozens of regime opponents endure incarceration.

In the center of the capital Algiers, national flags were held aloft by protesters, signifying the Hirak protest movement's opposition to a regime and leaders that they regard as illegitimate.

One banner read: "I have a dream -- democracy, the rule of law, freedom."

Pictures of detained prisoners of conscience featured alongside messages on numerous placards brought to the rally by protesters.

Around 30 people belonging or linked to the protest movement are currently behind bars, according to the CNLD prisoners' rights group.

"We want an independent judiciary. The injustice must stop!" said Mohammed, a 59-year-old retiree.

Another banner read "We are all Judge Merzoug", referring to a magistrate who was suspended from his duties, amid criticism from Algeria's justice ministry over his purported sympathy with the Hirak.

He is one of two judges who face legal action over links to the protest movement.

Protests also took place in several other cities, including Annaba in the east and Oran in the west, according to images circulating on social media.

The Hirak first mobilized in February 2019 and two months later forced then president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to abandon a bid for a fifth term and then resign.

The movement sees the regime as little changed since his departure from office, and demands a new political system that reflects the will of the people.

A presidential election in late 2019 resulted in victory for President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, once a prime minister under Bouteflika, in a poll where even official figures put turnout at only around 40 percent, amid a substantial boycott organized by the Hirak.



Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
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Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed calls from his ministers to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank next year after US President Donald Trump takes office.

In recent private talks, Netanyahu said the issue of sovereignty in the West Bank should return to the agenda once Trump is in the White House, according to public broadcaster Kan.

This aligns Netanyahu with coalition members already pushing for such a move next year.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the National Religious Party - Zionism Party and holds a position within Israel’s Defense Ministry where he oversees the administration of the occupied West Bank and its settlements, said Monday that a Trump win would create a “key opportunity” for Israel to impose sovereignty.

“We were close to applying sovereignty to settlements in Judea and Samaria during Trump’s last term, and now it’s time to make it happen,” he said.

“2025: the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich wrote on X, using the biblical name by which Israel refers to the occupied West Bank.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also welcomed Donald Trump’s victory, saying, “This is the time for sovereignty.”

Trump’s win has encouraged Israeli right-wing leaders to push for annexing and expanding West Bank settlements.

The plan to extend sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and West Bank settlements dates back to 2020, when Netanyahu sought Trump’s approval to move forward.

Kan reported that annexation plans are ready to be implemented.

In 2020, as part of Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin’s team, working with US officials, prepared maps, regulations, and a draft government resolution, Kan said.

The plan includes access roads and potential expansion zones for each settlement.

The West Bank is home to around 144 official settlements and over 100 unofficial outposts, covering approximately 42% of the territory, including their jurisdictions. These areas house about 600,000 Israeli settlers.