Israelis protest right-wing government in Tel Aviv

STORY: Protesters say the changes will threaten democratic checks and balances on ministers by the courts.

They also accused Netanyahu of trying to escape a legal case against him. Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges which he denies.

The plans, which the government says are needed to curb overreach by activist judges, have drawn fierce opposition from groups including lawyers, and raised concerns among business leaders, widening already deep political divisions in Israeli society.

Netanyahu has dismissed the protests, now in their sixth week, as a refusal by leftist opponents to accept the results of last November's election, which produced one of the most right-wing governments in Israel's history.

The protesters say the future of Israel's democracy is at stake if the government succeeds in pushing through the plans, which would tighten political control over judicial appointments and limit the Supreme Court's powers to overturn government decisions or Knesset laws.

As well as threatening the independence of judges and weakening oversight of the government and parliament, they say the plans will undermine the rights of minorities and open the door to more corruption.