Thousands of Israelis took to the streets for another Saturday in nationwide protests, now in their 10th week, against a bill by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government that limits the powers of the Supreme Court.

Netanyahu’s right-wing and far-right coalition government that has ruled Israel since December is introducing justice reform that gives the government greater powers to choose judges and limits the powers of the Supreme Court. Critics consider the reform an attempt to abolish the independence of the judiciary.

The bill has sparked mass protests in Israel since it was announced in early January.

As the reforms move toward ratification, protests are escalating. The value of the shekel has declined. Calls for reservists to refuse to serve have multiplied. On Thursday night, President Isaac Herzog called for a halt to the legislative process on the bill, calling it a “threat to the foundations of democracy.”

As on previous Saturdays, yesterday the main rally took place in central Tel Aviv, where demonstrators, numbering over 100,000 according to local media, waved Israeli flags.

“It is not a judicial reform. It’s a revolution that is leading Israel to an absolute dictatorship and I want Israel to remain a democracy for my children,” said Tami Gachabri, 58, of the protesters in Tel Aviv.

Other demonstrations took place in the country’s main cities.

According to Israeli media estimates, the rallies today broke attendance records in the cities of Haifa (north) and Be’er Sheva (south), with 50,000 and 10,000 protesters respectively, significant numbers compared to the country’s population of just over nine million. .

Israeli police did not give an estimate of the number of protesters.

The protests were mostly peaceful, although Reuters reported that there were injuries and arrests among protesters when police intervened in attempts to block road traffic.

At the same time, Knesset (Parliament) Legal Committee Chairman Simcha Rotman scheduled hearings on the controversial bill every day from Sunday to Wednesday.

He thus appears to be rejecting calls to slow down or halt the Knesset’s consideration of the bill to allow for compromise negotiations, and is ready to stick strictly to the timetable he announced with Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

That timetable calls for the approval of key elements of the reform before the end of the Knesset’s winter session on April 2.