60 Minutes to air report on protest movement in Israel as Netanyahu heads for US

Preview of TV feature on demonstrations includes interview with military reservist activists; protesters vow to hound PM while he’s abroad

CBS’s 60 Minutes will air a report on the ongoing protests in Israel against the coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departs Sunday evening for a visit to the United States.

A short clip from the report by journalist Lesley Stahl, titled “Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul triggers mass protests,” features scenes from the demonstrations and an interview with three activists from the Brothers and Sisters in Arms protest group.

“You want to make those elected officials understand that what they’re doing is wrong. You want to wake up and shake up people. And you don’t do that by being nice,” one of the activists says in the snippet.

 

Netanyahu himself has spoken numerous times with US media over the past year to defend the contentious legislation but has rarely granted interviews to Israeli media outlets.

Because of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, the weekly protests held around Israel against the judicial overhaul will kick off their 37th straight week on Sunday evening instead of Saturday.

 

Critics of the coalition’s plans say the legislative package will fundamentally alter Israel’s democratic system by stripping the judiciary’s ability to act as a check on the governing coalition. Supporters say that it is necessary to reign in what they see as an overly activist court.


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