Tag: Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli parliament approves ‘reasonableness’ law to prevent judicial checks on political power

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Parliament on Monday approved the contentious “reasonableness” law that prevents judicial checks on political power, after weeks of unprecedented protests that have crippled the country. The bill passed with 64 votes in favour and zero against it, with opposition boycotting the final vote on the bill in protest. It is the first major bill to pass in the government’s judicial overhaul.

Multiple last-minute attempts within the Knesset to amend the bill or to come to a broader procedural compromise with the opposition failed. A series of ideas for unilaterally softening the legislation, discussed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and key coalition leaders even as the Knesset was preparing to vote, also led nowhere.

The vote followed almost 30 hours of continuous floor debate that began on Sunday morning. During that period, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets, both for and against curbing judicial checks on political power, The Times of Israel newspaper reported. According to the law’s text, courts are prohibited from exercising any scrutiny over the reasonableness of cabinet and minister decisions, including appointments and the choice to not exercise vested authorities, it said.

The protesters have been demanding that the government shelve its contentious judicial overhaul initiative that will curtail the power of the courts to oversee the executive and legislative branch’s decision.

Also Read:Israel PM Netanyahu released from hospital amid justice system overhaul crisis

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Israel PM Netanyahu released from hospital amid justice system overhaul crisis

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from the hospital on Monday after an emergency heart procedure, facing an unprecedented national crisis ahead of parliament’s vote on the first major piece of legislation to remake the country’s justice system.

Demonstrators, many of whom feel the very foundations of their country are being eroded by the government’s plan, stepped up their opposition, blocking a road leading up to parliament. Businesses across the country shuttered their doors in protest of the vote.

Driven by a governing coalition made up of ultranationalist and ultra-religious parties, the judicial overhaul has divided Israel, testing the delicate social ties that bind the country, rattling the cohesion of its powerful military and repeatedly drawing concern from even its closest ally, the United States.

Efforts to find a last-ditch compromise were underway, with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog shuttling between the sides, including a meeting at the hospital where Netanyahu was treated, to bring the sides to an agreement over the way forward. But it was unclear whether those would result in a compromise.

Early Monday, protesters blocked a road leading to the Knesset, and police used water cannons to push them back. Israeli media reported that a consortium of businesses announced late Sunday that some of their members wouldn’t open on Monday in protest at the government’s plans, leading to big mall chains and some gas stations sealing their doors.

The dramatic events were being watched closely in Washington, where the Biden administration has frequently spoken out against Netanyahu’s government and its overhaul plan. In a statement to the news site Axios late Sunday, Biden warned against pushing ahead with the legal changes that were sparking so much division.

“Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this — the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” he told the site.

Netanyahu’s sudden hospitalization for the implant of a pacemaker added another dizzying twist to an already dramatic series of events that have bitterly divided his country and are certain to shape Israel’s future.

Netanyahu’s doctors said Sunday the procedure had gone smoothly. In a short video statement from the hospital late Sunday, Netanyahu, 73, said he felt fine and thanked his doctors for his treatment and the public for wishing him well.

Wearing a white dress shirt and dark blazer, Netanyahu said he was pursuing a compromise with his opponents while also preparing for a vote on Monday that would enshrine a key piece of the legislation into law.

“I want you to know that tomorrow morning I’m joining my colleagues at the Knesset,” he said.

The overhaul calls for sweeping changes aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions to change the way judges are selected.

Netanyahu and his far-right allies, a collection of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties, say the changes are needed to curb the powers of unelected judges. Their opponents, coming largely from Israel’s professional middle class, say the plan will destroy the country’s fragile system of checks and balances and push Israel toward authoritarian rule.

The plan has triggered seven months of mass protests, drawn harsh criticism from business and medical leaders, and a fast-rising number of military reservists in key units have said they will stop reporting for duty if the plan passes, raising concern that Israel’s security could be threatened.

President Herzog, who returned Sunday from a trip to the White House, immediately rushed to Netanyahu’s hospital room.

“This is a time of emergency,” Herzog said. “We have to reach an agreement.”

Herzog held meetings later Sunday with Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, and Benny Gantz, head of National Unity, another opposition party.

As they spoke, tens of thousands of people were gathering for mass rallies for and against the plan. Netanyahu’s supporters thronged central Tel Aviv — normally the setting for anti-government protests — while his opponents marched on Israel’s Knesset or parliament.

Many of the protesters in Jerusalem had camped out in a nearby park, after completing a four-day march into the city from Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Despite the attempts to project business as usual, Netanyahu’s schedule was disrupted by his hospitalization. His weekly Cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday morning was postponed. Two upcoming overseas trips, to Cyprus and Turkey, were being rescheduled, his office said.

In Monday’s vote, legislators are to decide on an overhaul measure that would prevent judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.”

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Proponents say the current “reasonability” standard gives judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials. Critics say removing it would allow the government to pass arbitrary decisions, make improper appointments or firings and open the door to corruption.

Protesters, who come from a wide swath of Israeli society, see the overhaul as a power grab fueled by personal and political grievances of Netanyahu — who is on trial for corruption charges — and his partners who want to deepen Israel’s control of the occupied West Bank and perpetuate controversial draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

Netanyahu was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night a week after being hospitalized for what doctors said was dehydration.

The sudden hospitalization for the pacemaker procedure indicated that Netanyahu’s health issues were more serious than what he initially said.

Further ratcheting up the pressure on the Israeli leader, thousands of military reservists have been declaring their refusal to serve under a government taking steps that they see as setting the country on a path to dictatorship. Those moves have prompted fears that the military’s preparedness could be compromised.

Over 100 retired security chiefs publicly supported the growing ranks of military reservists who plan to stop reporting for duty if the overhaul is advanced.

“These are dangerous cracks,” military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi wrote in a letter to soldiers Sunday meant to address the tensions. “If we will not be a strong and cohesive military if the best do not serve in the IDF, we will no longer be able to exist as a country in the region.”

Netanyahu and his far-right allies announced the overhaul plan in January, days after taking office.

Netanyahu paused the overhaul in March after intense pressure from protesters and labour strikes that halted outgoing flights and shut down parts of the economy. After talks to find a compromise failed last month, he said his government was pressing on with the overhaul.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Israeli protesters block highways, gather outside military headquarters against judicial overhaul plan

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli protesters blocked highways and gathered outside Tel Aviv’s stock exchange and military headquarters on Tuesday in the latest countrywide demonstration against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned judicial overhaul. The latest day of disruption came as longtime allies of the prime minister pushed a contentious piece of legislation through a parliamentary committee ahead of a vote expected next week.

Additional protests are planned throughout the day. Demonstrators, many of them military reservists, created human chains and blocked one of the entrances to the Kirya, Israel’s military headquarters in central Tel Aviv. Outside the Tel Aviv stock exchange, demonstrators ignited smoke bombs, drummed and chanted, and held up signs reading save our startup nation and dictatorship will kill the economy.

Others demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Histadrut, Israel’s largest labor union, demanding the organization calls for a general strike a move that could paralyse the country’s economy. Protesters scaled scaffolding outside the building and hoisted reservist protest flags. The labour union had called a strike in March, a move that contributed to Netanyahu freezing the judicial overhaul. Itai Bar Natan, 48, CFO of an Israeli start-up, said he was angry enough to climb the scaffolding and wave the flag that read Brothers in arms.

This government is totally insane. We are afraid for our democracy, for everything we’ve built that’s why we are all here fighting, Natan said. The settlers in the West Bank, the economy, the corruption it’s all part of the same thing. Police said officers had arrested at least 16 people suspected of public disturbance during protests blocking highways in central Israel.

Netanyahu heads the most ultranationalist and religiously conservative government in Israel’s 75-year history. He proposed a series of drastic changes to the country’s judiciary shortly after taking office in December. His government took office in the aftermath of the country’s fifth elections in under four years, all of them regarded as referendums on his fitness to serve as prime minister while on trial for corruption. The weekly mass protests led Netanyahu to suspend the overhaul in March but he decided to revive the plan last month after compromise talks with the political opposition collapsed.

The proposed laws would grant lawmakers greater control over the appointment of judges and give parliament the power to overturn high court decisions and pass laws impervious to judicial review. The bill making its way through parliament this week would eliminate the Supreme Court’s ability to strike down government decisions it deems unreasonable. Judges used that reasonability clause to annul a key Netanyahu ally’s appointment as interior minister after accepting a plea deal for tax evasion in 2021.

He and his allies say the measures are necessary to curb an over-activist Supreme Court comprised of unelected judges. Critics say the judicial overhaul will concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his allies and undermine the country’s system of checks and balances. They also say Netanyahu has a conflict of interest because he is on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.

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Israel rejects claims that Mossad backed judiciary overhaul protests

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israel’s government rejected claims raised in leaked documents aparently fom the Pentagon that leaders of its intelligence service Mossad had supported nationwide protests against a proposed overhaul of the country’s judiciary.

The New York Times published an assessment on April 8 that it attributed to a Central Intelligence Update from March 1 that Mossad leadership had encouraged its staff and Israeli citizens to join the mass protests. The paper said that while the leaked documents seemed authentic, it did not mean they were accurate.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the report was “mendacious and without any foundation whatsoever”.

“The Mossad and its senior officials did not – and do not – encourage agency personnel to join the demonstrations against the government, political demonstrations or any political activity,” it said.

Netanyahu’s judiciary overhaul plan sparked unprecedented public anger since his coalition of hard-right and religious parties came to power late last year, and has also caused alarm among Israel’s Western allies.

Also read: Israeli Spring — the price that Netanyahu paid for indifference to public opinion

The proposed legislation would enable parliament to override Supreme Court decisions and hold control over judicial appointments.

After weeks of intensifying demonstrations, Netanyahu in late March relented and said he would delay the contested reforms to allow for compromise talks with opposition parties.

The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it was in touch with the Defense Department and had began a probe into the leak of the alleged documents, covering several subjects relating to national security. It declined further comment.

Also read: Thousands take to streets after Netanyahu fires defence minister

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 23 that his country’s intelligence agency Mossad helped Greece prevent a terrorist attack planned against at least one Jewish site in Athens.

Greek authorities said earlier that two men described as being of Pakistani origin, who were not named, had been arrested for allegedly planning an attack on a Jewish restaurant. The attack was considered to be imminent and to be intended to cause extensive loss of life.

The suspects were charged Tuesday with terrorism offenses, while a third man believed to be outside Greece has been charged in absentia with similar offenses.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office maintained that the attackers were linked to Iran.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Israeli PM Netanyahu freezes judicial overhaul; urges protesters ‘to behave responsibly’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that he would temporarily freeze his government’s controversial judicial overhaul plans following unprecedented demonstrations across the country and a general strike that paralysed the Jewish nation.

Netanyahu said that he ordered “the timeout” on the controversial legislation until after the Knesset recess in order “to give a real opportunity for real dialogue”.

“One thing I am not willing to accept — there are a minority of extremists that are willing to tear our country to shreds… escorting us to civil war and calling for refusal of army service, which is a terrible crime,” the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

Also read: Explained | Why are Israelis protesting against Benjamin Netanyahu

Drawing analogy from the story of King Solomon from about 3,000 years ago when two women reached out with the claim over a baby boy and the king said to divide the infant in two halves to ascertain the real mother, Netanyahu said that he would not let that happen to Israel in his watch.

“When there’s an option to avoid civil war through dialogue, I take a time-out for dialogue…. out of national responsibility,” Netanyahu said, asserting that most of his coalition members backed the “reforms” and he could have done it if he wished so.

Netanyahu earlier on Monday urged protesters “to behave responsibly and refrain from violence” as Israelis from all over the country started descending into Jerusalem and workers from a range of sectors joined a protest movement against the government’s contentious plan.

Netanyahu’s appeal came hours after President Isaac Herzog on Monday appealed to him to immediately halt his controversial judicial overhaul, warning that the move has put the country’s security, economy and society under threat.

Netanyahu in his first public statement since widespread demonstrations erupted in reaction to his sacking of the defence minister has urged protesters, from the left and right, “to behave responsibly and refrain from violence.”

As Israelis from all over the country started descending into Jerusalem, in a tweet Netanyahu appeared to address fears of violent clashes this evening between opponents and supporters of the government’s judicial overhaul plan.

“All of us are brothers and sisters,” Netanyahu stressed in his tweet.

President Herzog’s appeal to Netanyahu came after the Prime Minister sacked Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for opposing his judicial reforms, sparking widespread street protests. The president also called on the government to put aside political considerations for the sake of the nation.

“Last night we witnessed very difficult scenes. I appeal to the Prime Minister, members of the Government, and members of the Coalition: there are harsh and painful feelings. The entire nation is rapt with deep worry,” Herzog said.

“Our security, economy, society — all are under threat. The whole people of Israel are looking at you. The whole Jewish People are looking at you. The whole world is looking at you,” the ceremonial president in a statement.

“For the sake of the unity of the People of Israel, for the sake of the necessary responsibility, I call on you to halt the legislative process immediately,” he emphasised.”

He urged all the leaders in power to place the country’s citizens above all else.

“I appeal to the leaders of all Knesset factions, Coalition and Opposition alike, to place this country’s citizens above all else and to act with courage and responsibility without further delay. Wake up now! This is not a political moment; this is a moment for leadership and responsibility,” the president asserted.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Israel Sunday night after Netanyahu fired Defence Minister Gallant after he said on Saturday that the judicial overhaul “poses a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the security of the state”.

Also read: Netanyahu government survives no-confidence votes in Israeli parliament

Irked by the televised speech given by Gallant, the Prime Minister’s Office in a terse statement Sunday evening said “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided, this evening (Sunday, 26 March 2023), to dismiss Defence Minister Yoav Gallant”.

The announcement led to a spontaneous and unprecedented outburst of anger against the country’s longest-serving prime minister.

An unconfirmed Channel 12 report said that 600,000-700,000 Israelis were demonstrating late on Sunday across the country, with protests reported from Kiryat Shmona in the north to Eilat in the south.

Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked a main highway and lit large bonfires, while police scuffled with protesters who gathered outside Netanyahu’s private home in Jerusalem.

The unrest sparked by Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s proposals to shake up the judiciary by severely curbing the High Court of Justice’s judicial review powers and the government’s efforts to cement political control over the appointment of judges has met with resistance not only in the streets of the country but also abroad with thousands of Jewish diaspora members protesting during Netanyahu’s visits to Italy, Germany and the UK.

The protests have alarmed business leaders, former security chiefs and drawn concern from Israel’s close allies, including the United States.

The country has also seen economic disruption with talk of a ”flight of capital” and hi-tech leaders and firms.

Arnon Bar-David, the head of Israel’s largest labour federation Histadrut, Monday announced a “historic” labour strike in an attempt to “stop the madness” of the government’s controversial judicial overhaul.

“We are all worried about Israel’s fate,” Bar-David says. “Together we say, enough! We have lost our way — this is not about left or right. We can no longer polarise the nation,” the union head was quoted as saying in The Times of Israel newspaper.

Bar-David said the strike will begin as soon as Monday if Prime Minister Netanyahu does not announce a halt to the judicial overhaul.

Israel’s main airport Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Monday announced an immediate halt to all departing flights, minutes after the head of the Histadrut announced the “historic” labour strike.

The Histadrut also instructed all government employees to go on strike, including in all of Israel’s diplomatic missions around the world, the paper reported.

Citing a spokesperson for Israel’s Embassy in the United States, it confirmed that the mission has shut down until further notice.

The National Student and Youth Council, representing the high school and middle school students, declared a nationwide strike to start on Monday morning.

The council has called for “halting the [overhaul] legislation and starting negotiations immediately”.

Two protesters entered the Knesset building and shouted at Education Minister Yoav Kisch that he should resign. They were quickly bundled away by security guards.

As protests intensified accompanied by an unforeseen display of anger, some Likud ministers relented, beginning to show their willingness to compromise.

Culture Minister Micky Zohar, a Netanyahu confidant, said the party would support him if he decided to pause the judicial overhaul.

Protest organisers, mostly common people with no declared political affiliation, continued to push for further demonstrations on Monday.

Political analysts see the development as a ”grassroots movement” beyond the control of any political formation. The opposition though has been fully supportive and participating in the protests.

Legislation, which many argue is aimed at establishing executive supremacy over the judiciary, making it subservient to the government, is slated to come for the final readings this week in the Knesset.

Seen at the receiving end of international ire, including a rebuke from US President Joe Biden, Netanyahu has looked weak and perplexed but also hesitant to step back from the proposed “reforms” because of fear of backlash within his ruling Likud party.

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Explained | Why are Israelis protesting against Benjamin Netanyahu

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s sacking of his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has sparked domestic uproar as thousands of protestors poured into the streets of cities across the country. Amid the protests, hospitals, universities and labour workers across Israel have announced strikes against Netanyahu’s recent decision.

Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked a main highway while police scuffled with protesters who gathered outside PM Netanyahu’s private home in Jerusalem. Demonstrations took place in key Israeli cities of Beersheba and Haifa. “A prime minister who doesn’t obey the court and the provision of the law is privileged and an anarchist,” said a protestor to AP.

Netanyahu later tweeted “we must all stand strong against refusal.” He is widely expected to make an announcement in the coming hours.

“State security cannot be a card in the political game. Netanyahu crossed a red line tonight,” opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz said in a joint statement. Meanwhile, Culture Minister and Netanyahu’s confidant Micky Zohar said the party would support him if he decided to pause the judicial overhaul.

Gallant is the first senior member of the ruling Likud party to speak out against the Israeli leader’s judicial overhaul plan.

Also, in a sharp departure of staying away from political issues, Israeli President Isaac Herzog says in a statement that the government must “stop the legislative process immediately.”

WHAT IS  GOVERNMENT’S PROBLEM WITH JUDICIARY?

Many critics of the Israeli Supreme Court, including some in the ruling Likud party, have been alleging that Judges appointed in the apex court are left leaning in their ideological beliefs and elitist. Apart from this, they allege that judges become too interventionist in the political sphere.

Benjamin Netanyahu, on several incidents, has hinted that the country needs to restore the proper balance between an elected government and the judiciary.

Also Read:Benjamin Netanyahu fires Defence Minister Yoav Gallant sparking mass protests

WHY ARE ISRAELIS PROTESTING?

Critics say that the changes will weaken the Israeli judiciary and hand unbridled power to the government. Many critics fear Netanyahu wants to leverage the judicial push to freeze or void his trial which the Prime Minister denies.

The opposition also says his nationalist allies want to weaken the Supreme Court to establish more settlements on the land of the Palestinians. For a long time, ultra-orthodox Jewish parties in the coalition wanted to pass a law exempting their community from service in the conscript military.

As per Yoav Gallant, disputes over new legislation threaten Israel’s security. The crisis came as there is prediction of a potential violence as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan overlaps with the Jewish Passover and the Christian Easter celebration.

Over the past year, Israeli Defence forces (IDF) have been conducting nearly daily raids in the West Bank, killing more than 250 Palestinian fighters and civilians.

Also Read:Israeli defence minister calls for halt to judicial overhaul as over 200,000 Israelis protest

WHAT DOES THE COALITION WANT?

The Netanyahu government has been pushing for changes to limit the Supreme Court’s powers to rule against the government while giving coalition lawmakers more power in appointing judges.

The panel for selecting judges requires politicians and judges to agree on names.

-With inputs from Reuters and AP

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Netanyahu government survives no-confidence votes in Israeli parliament

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition government on Monday survived no-confidence motions filed by the opposition in protest over its judicial overhaul plan.

One motion failed by a vote of 59-53, a second by a vote of 60-51, the Knesset speaker said.

Netanyahu’s coalition plunged into chaos on Monday, after mass overnight protests over the sacking of his defence chief piled pressure on the government to halt its bitterly contested plans to overhaul the judiciary.

Netanyahu had been expected to make a televised statement on Monday morning announcing the plans had been suspended. But, amid reports that his nationalist-religious coalition risked breaking apart, Israeli TV stations said the statement was postponed.

Earlier, a source in his Likud party and another source closely involved in the legislation said Netanyahu would suspend the overhaul, which has ignited some of Israel’s biggest-ever demonstrations and drew an intervention by the head of state.

“For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately,” President Isaac Herzog said on Twitter.

The warning by Herzog, who is supposed to stand above politics and whose function is largely ceremonial, underlined the alarm that the divisions triggered by the proposals have caused.

It followed a dramatic night of protests in cities across Israel, with tens of thousands flooding streets following Netanyahu’s announcement that he had dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

A day earlier, Gallant had made a televised appeal for the government to halt its flagship overhaul of the judicial system, warning that the deep split it had opened up in Israeli society was affecting the military and threatening national security.

Also Read:Explained | Why are Israelis protesting against Benjamin Netanyahu

FURIOUS SCENES IN PARLIAMENT

During furious scenes in the Knesset early on Monday, opposition members of parliament attacked Simcha Rothman, the committee chairman who has shepherded the bill, with cries of “Shame! Shame!” and accusations comparing the bill to militant groups that want the destruction of Israel.

“This is a hostile takeover of the State of Israel. No need for Hamas, no need for Hezbollah,” one lawmaker was heard saying to Rothman as the constitution committee approved a key bill to go forward for ratification.

“The law is balanced and good for Israel,” Rothman said.

Three months after it took power, Gallant’s removal has plunged Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition into crisis as it also faces a deepening security emergency in the occupied West Bank.

In a sign of the tensions within the coalition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who heads one of the hardline pro-settler parties in the coalition, called for the overhaul to go ahead.

“We must not stop the judiciary reform and must not surrender to anarchy,” he tweeted.

Also Read:Mass protests in Israel: Thousands take to streets after Netanyahu fires defence minister

GENERAL STRIKE CALL

The shekel, which has seen big swings over recent weeks as the political turbulence has played out, fell 0.7% in early trading before recovering some ground as expectations grew the legislation would be halted.

As opposition spread, the head of the Histadrut labour union, Arnon Bar-David, called for a general strike if the proposals were not halted.

“Bring back the country’s sanity. If you don’t announce in a news conference today that you changed your mind, we will go on strike.”

The judicial overhaul, which would give the executive more control over appointing judges to the Supreme Court and allow the government to override court rulings on the basis of a simple parliamentary majority, has drawn mass protests for weeks.

While the government says the overhaul is needed to rein in activist judges and set a proper balance between the elected government and the judiciary, opponents see it as an undermining of legal checks and balances and a threat to Israel’s democracy.

Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges that he denies, has so far vowed to continue with the project and a central part of the overhaul package, a bill that would tighten political control over judicial appointments, is due to be voted on in parliament this week.

As well as drawing opposition from the business establishment, the project has caused alarm among Israel’s allies. The United States said it was deeply concerned by Sunday’s events and saw an urgent need for compromise, while repeating calls to safeguard democratic values.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Israeli defence minister calls for halt to judicial overhaul as over 200,000 Israelis protest

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has called on the government to halt legislation on changes to the judiciary, saying the bitter dispute over the measures poses a danger to national security. “The deepening split is seeping into the military and defence institutions – this is a clear, immediate and real danger to Israel’s security,” Gallant said in a brief televised statement.

Gallant’s call drew support from at least two fellow Likud party lawmakers, Yuli Edelstein and David Bitan, who said reforms should be made with broad agreement.

It was unclear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrapping up a visit to London and aiming to finalise legislation on at least one bill in the coming week, would heed their call.

Netanyahu – on trial for corruption, which he denies – is under pressure from others in his ruling coalition who want him to proceed this week with a bill that would grant them more sway in selecting judges.

Also Read: Israel government’s intention is to weaken the SC and give itself more power: Amir Tibon of Haaretz Newspaper

Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Netanyahu to fire Gallant, who he said had caved to opposition pressure.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid praised Gallant’s ”brave step” and said he was ready for talks on the reforms once the government stops the legislation.

Gallant said he supported reforming the justice system but this must be done with broad agreement. But with a solid 64-seat majority in parliament, the coalition would still have enough votes without him.

The defence chief has previously voiced worries about a wave of Israelis who have pledged not to heed call-ups for military reserve duty if the reforms proceed, saying that could weaken war readiness and national cohesion.

The judicial overhaul plan, announced on January 4, has plunged Israel into its worst political crisis in years, as mass protests have swept the country. It has also stirred concern abroad and warnings about a serious economic backlash.

Despite Netanyahu’s pledge this week to enshrine civil rights in law and defer some chapters of the overhaul during parliament’s April recess, the opposition does not seem to have weakened.

Read Here | Israeli parliament in uproar over Netanyahu justice plans as thousands protest

Israeli media said around 200,000 Israelis rallied against the plan in Tel Aviv on Saturday, with tens of thousands more across the country.

”I am fighting for the future of my country as I know it. I grew up in the Soviet Union, I know exactly what it means to live in a dictatorship regime. I will do everything in my power, to prevent my country from becoming one,” said Tel Aviv protester Janna Gur, 64.

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Israel government’s intention is to weaken the SC and give itself more power: Amir Tibon of Haaretz Newspaper

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets of protesting against a few judicial reforms passed by the government. The legislation passed would protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from being deemed unfit to rule because of his corruption trial.

It stipulates that a Prime Minister can only be deemed unfit to rule because of health or mental reasons. Remember Netanyahu is facing charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals.

Amid these protests, Netayanhu visited UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak — the UK identified Israel as a ‘vital international partner’ and Sunak has stressed the importance of upholding democratic values that underpin the UK-Israel relationship.

Amir Tibon, Sr Editor of Haaretz Newspaper, mentioned the reason behind the protests is the dramatic changes to the balance of power in Israel, and it is not a coincidence that for 11 straight weeks, hundreds of people are protesting all over Israel.

The Israeli system allows for no clear separation between the government and legislative system, which is a significant concern for those protesting.

Tibon said, “There is no clear separation between the government and the legislator because the government enjoys a parliamentary majority that gives them the ability to rule. And the only real check on the government’s power is the Supreme Court of Israel. And what the government wants to do through a very controversial pieces of legislation is basically to significantly weaken the Supreme Court and give some of its powers to the government itself.”

Read Here | Israeli parliament in uproar over Netanyahu justice plans as thousands protest

The Israeli government’s ultimate goal is to take over the appointment of judges in the Supreme Court, which would allow them to choose judges who are favorable to their cause.

Netanyahu, in particular, would like the power to select the judges that will hear his corruption case. This desire has led to even more unrest and protests in Israel.

Protesters in Israel want legislation to be put on hold in place of a balanced judicial reform. This would ensure that the Supreme Court remains independent and has the power to hold the government accountable.

For the entire discussion, watch the accompanying video

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Israeli parliament in uproar over Netanyahu justice plans as thousands protest

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Israeli lawmakers traded insults on Monday over government plans to overhaul the judiciary while tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament, as the president warned the country was on the brink of ”constitutional collapse”.

The plans, which would give right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greater control of appointments to the bench and weaken the Supreme Court’s ability to strike down legislation or rule against the executive, have triggered angry protests across Israel for weeks.

On Monday, the Knesset Constitution Committee voted to send the first chapter of the plan to the plenum for a first reading, after a rowdy start to the meeting in which several lawmakers were thrown out forcibly, to shouts of ”shame, shame”.

As lawmakers traded calls of ”fascist” and ”traitor”, sang protest folk songs and even cried inside the Knesset, tens of thousands of protesters massed outside.

Netanyahu, currently on trial on corruption charges which he denies, says the changes are needed to restore balance in the system and curb activist judges who have overreached their powers to interfere in the political sphere.

”I call on the heads of the opposition: Stop it. Stop deliberately dragging the country into anarchy,” he said in a statement. ”Most Israeli citizens do not want anarchy. They want a substantive discourse and in the end they want unity.”

But the plans have exposed deep splits within Israeli society, pitting the economic establishment and more liberal sections of the country against supporters of Netanyahu and his right-wing religious and nationalist coalition allies.

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”I’m protesting for the country my father fought for, my brother fought for, my uncle died for,” said protester Hila Morzehavi. ”They fought for Israel to be a democracy, not a fascist’s country.”

Critics say the plans risk destroying democratic checks and balances and isolating Israel internationally by weakening the courts, handing unbridled power to the executive and endangering human rights and civil liberties.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan published a poll on Sunday which showed 28% of Israelis support the judicial overhaul as it is and 50% oppose it.

“Constitutional collapse”

On Sunday evening, in a rare intervention, President Isaac Herzog made a televised plea for consensus, saying that the bitterness had left Israel on the brink of ”constitutional and social collapse” and calling for all sides to come together.

The standoff comes at a time of heightened anxiety over security in Israel after two deadly attacks by Palestinians in recent weeks that killed 10 people and piled pressure on Netanyahu’s hardline government allies to react.

Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies have denounced opponents of the proposals as embittered leftists who refuse to accept the results of last year’s election that brought one of the most right-wing governments in Israel’s history to power.

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But as well as the parliamentary opposition, warnings have come from Israel’s banks and tech sector that the changes risked undermining the civil institutions that underpin Israel’s economic prosperity.

U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Netanyahu to build consensus before pushing through far-reaching changes, saying in comments published by the New York Times on Sunday that an independent judiciary was one of the foundations of U.S. and Israeli democracy.

Rothman, one of the driving forces behind the proposals, said he welcomed Herzog’s calls but the opposition had to compromise.

”I urge, again, everyone who wants to negotiate with good faith to come to the president and do it,” he told Reuters.

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