Protesters against the government’s plans for a drastic overhaul of the judiciary held rallies Thursday outside events attended by two government ministers, heckling them as they tried to give speeches.

A protest rally was also held outside the home of Moshe Koppel, head of the Kohelet Policy Forum, a think tank that has spearheaded much of the effort behind the reforms.

The government says the overhaul is needed to rein in what it sees as an over-intrusive High Court of Justice. Critics say it will sap the court’s power to act as a check and balance against the Knesset, dangerously harming Israel’s democratic nature.

The overhaul has been on hold since late March while negotiations are held with opposition parties for agreed-upon changes to the justice system, but with no announced progress in talks yet. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other coalition figures have vowed that reforms will be enacted even without agreement.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who is spearheading the overhaul, was in Katzrin in the Golan Heights to participate in a ceremony to inaugurate a new judicial building in the community. He was joined there by Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, who has spoken out against the government’s plan.

Outside the........

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