Israeli protesters rally against Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet, judicial reform

The protesters thronged the central part of the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Saturday, shouting, "Israel is almost a dictatorship," while carrying a huge banner that read "Stop Them."

The regime's media estimated some 90,000-100,000 demonstrators took part in the Saturday protest.

The rallies have been a weekly fixture across the occupied territories since early January when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the so-called plan.

The scheme is aimed at giving the regime's extremist cabinet more say in the process of selecting the Supreme Court's judges, while seeking to empower the politicians and the Knesset to override the court's rulings.

Netanyahu's far-right cabinet accuses the court of wielding too much power and claims that the changes are needed to strike a balance between the judiciary and the politicians.

"It scares me that we are still a few hours away at any given moment from turning...[in]to a dictatorship," a protester was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"Gradually, myself, my kids, and my grandkids are losing the hope to live here...and to have a normal life like every person deserves," said another.

Earlier in May, a poll conducted by Israeli television channel, KAN 11 showed that 74 percent of Israeli settlers were against the cabinet's political conduct.

Faced with overwhelming public pressure, including the biggest protests ever seen across the occupied territories as well as several strikes, Netanyahu announced a pause in the scheme on March 27 to supposedly enable talks on the reforms.

The regime's extremist cabinet, however, has vowed to push ahead with the overhaul plan.