160,000 people in Tel Aviv protest against Israeli judicial reforms

Around 160,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv against the Israeli government's planned judicial reforms on Saturday, and people also flocked to protests in Haifa and Netanya.

Police Chief Kobi Shabtai said that officers would not allow the central road connecting Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to be blocked again.

There have been complaints about the way police are handling the protests after several protesters were injured in outbreaks of violence during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Despite nine consecutive weeks of protests, the government is proceeding with its controversial judicial reforms.

The plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right wing government will allow parliament to overturn decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority. In addition, politicians are to be given more influence in the appointment of judges.

Critics see this as a threat to the democratic separation of powers. They also fear that the reforms could allow Netanyahu to escape conviction in his corruption trial.

In the absence of a written constitution in Israel, the Supreme Court has a special role to play in upholding the rule of law and human rights. However, the government argues that the court currently exerts too much political influence.

During the demonstrations against the reforms, some women dressed up as characters from "The Handmaid's Tale" television series, wearing long red cloaks and white hoods. Published in 1985, Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel portrays a dictatorship in which women in particular are oppressed.

The demonstrators dressed up to convey their concern that a weaker judiciary could allow the Israeli government to gain excessive power.