Tens of thousands protest in Israel

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Protesters outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Sunday Associated Press/Photo by Mahmoud Illean

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a pacemaker implanted over the weekend, but that did not stop him from attending a parliamentary vote Monday over his plan to overhaul the courts. Parliament has approved a key part of the plan, which would give legislators veto power over Supreme Court decisions, among other changes. Opposition lawmakers walked out in protest before the vote was held.

Will the judicial reforms happen soon? U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Netanyahu to put the plan on pause, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog has attempted to find a compromise between the two sides. Over the weekend, protesters converged outside parliament in Jerusalem, known as the Knesset. Some of them completed a four-day march from the major city of Tel Aviv, about 45 miles away. In Tel Aviv, supporters of the judicial overhaul also gathered to demonstrate.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s report in WORLD Magazine about the changing role of religion in Israeli politics and public life.

Lynde Langdon

Lynde is WORLD’s executive editor for news. She is a graduate of World Journalism Institute, the Missouri School of Journalism, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Lynde resides with her family in Wichita, Kan.

@lmlangdon