RW rally held in Jerusalem to support Israel's judicial reform

JERUSALEM: Tens of thousands of Israeli right-wing activists held a rally in Jerusalem, calling on the ruling coalition to press ahead with the contentious judicial reform.

The rally was held on Thursday outside the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. Many of the participants support the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told the crowd that "we will not give up" on the plan, state-owned Kan TV news reported.

He claimed that "the majority of people agree that the reform of the judicial system is the right thing for Israel".

The rally came after 16 consecutive weeks of mass demonstrations held in Tel Aviv and dozens of other Israeli cities against the overhaul plan, which the opponents say will weaken the Supreme Court and increase the government's powers.