Tens of thousands of Israelis protested again after dusk on Saturday, ending a week of upheaval in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed through a contentious measure limiting some Supreme Court jurisdiction, news agency Reuters reported. Protesters with drums and screaming horns came to the streets on a scorching evening at the conclusion of Sabbath, from a rural crossroads among the beautiful hills of northern Galilee to the arteries crisscrossing Tel Aviv's financial centre.
The judicial makeover pushed by Netanyahu and his right-wing cabinet, the first portion of which was enacted on Monday, triggered an unprecedented crisis and exposed a significant societal split. The demonstrations are in their 30th week.
The government's proposal has unsettled some army reservists' resolve to call-up service, while rating agencies have issued dire warnings about economic consequences.
"We all don't see a future if this continues," said Yariv Shavit, 53, an engineer in Israel's high-tech industry who joined other protestors holding a flower and a flag. "We are not united. We lost our unity," he further stated.
Political watchdog organisations have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the new law, which limits the top court's ability to overturn "unreasonable" decisions by the government and ministers. The court announced that arguments will be heard in September, setting the stage for a constitutional clash.
Netanyahu has attempted to downplay the significance of the new law, which was adopted after days of raucous discussion in parliament in a vote boycotted by the opposition.
Critics argue he is endangering Israel's democratic ideals and the independence of the courts, potentially in response to a corruption case in which he is involved. Netanyahu disputes this, as well as the claims levelled against him.
The Knesset, Israel's parliament, adjourns for the summer on Saturday, so Netanyahu's future policy may not be evident for several weeks. He controls 64 of the 120 seats with ultra-Orthodox and nationalist allies.
However, there are signals of disquiet, if not remorse, inside Netanyahu's own Likud party.