Judicial overhaul protesters simply want to burn down the house and bring down the government, sending the country into a sixth election cycle, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned.
“The extreme and dangerous group that organizes [the protests] just wants to burn down the house and create chaos in the country,” he said as he addressed the weekly government session in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu spoke as the country headed into its tenth week of protests against Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s legislation to overhaul the judiciary. Proponents argued that it would strengthen Israel’s democracy, while its opponents have warned it would weaken democracy.
Protesters want to “trample on the results of a democratic election in which millions of citizens voted just a few months ago,” Netanyahu said.
“They want to overthrow the government, bringing about a constitutional crisis with the intention that this will lead to sixth elections. That’s their real goal,” he continued.
Most of the protesters are loyal Israeli citizens who don’t know all the details of the reform, but their leaders understand very well that it will only improve democracy by restoring a judicial balance between the branches of government, Netanyahu said.
