Herzog tries to reach agreement: the Knesset advises on the restructuring of the judiciary in Israel

class=”sc-29f61514-0 fQbOYE”>

According to his office, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening. He then also wanted to meet opposition leaders Jair Lapid and Benny Gantz. “An agreement must be reached,” Herzog demanded.

Parliament in Jerusalem began a marathon session on Sunday to finalize a key piece of the controversial plans. You can vote on it from this Monday.

Demonstrate opponents and supporters

Both opponents and supporters of the judicial reform demonstrated on Sunday evening. While tens of thousands of supporters of the planned restructuring of the judiciary gathered in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, tens of thousands of opponents gathered in the capital, Jerusalem. A demonstration also took place in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon for a consensus between the two camps.

According to media reports, proponents of judicial reform attacked a journalist and his camera crew for reasons that were initially unclear. According to the information, many protesters came by buses from other parts of the country and settlements in the occupied West Bank to Tel Aviv, which is considered liberal.

Netanyahu in hospital

According to media reports, the meeting between Netanyahu and Herzog took place at the hospital. The 73-year-old was fitted with a pacemaker a few hours before the start of the consultations at the hospital. According to the doctors, he survived the procedure well. Netanyahu was hospitalized a week ago. It was said at the time that he had been lying in the sun too long without water and a hat. It was unclear if he could make it to the Knesset in time for the vote. In a short video after the operation, he promised to be there. He is expected to be released from hospital on Monday.

The law is part of a larger package that critics see as a threat to Israeli democracy. All previous negotiations between the right-wing coalition and the opposition have so far failed. Netanyahu’s Likud party also rejected a proposal for a deal made a few days ago by the umbrella organization of trade unions (Histadrut) on Sunday.

The current government is the most right-wing Israel has ever had. The law changes are also being pushed through under pressure from Netanyahu’s strictly religious coalition partners. However, the reform could also play into his hands in a corruption trial against the head of government that has been going on for some time.

The Bar Association wants to act against the law

The law should no longer allow the country’s highest court to rule a decision by the government or individual ministers as “improper”. Critics fear that this will encourage corruption and the arbitrary filling of key posts and layoffs. The Netanyahu government, on the other hand, accuses the judiciary of interfering too much in political decisions. The head of the Bar Association, Amit Becher, announced that he would take legal action against the law if it were passed.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets on Saturday against the judicial reform. The organizers estimate the number of participants on Saturday at more than half a million. Israel has ten million inhabitants. The planned restructuring of the judiciary has been dividing large parts of society for more than half a year. Opponents of the project fear that Israel could fundamentally change. Some even warn against the introduction of a dictatorship. During the deliberations in the Knesset, opposition MP Orit Farkasch-Hacohen burst into tears. “Our country is on fire. You destroyed the country, you destroyed society.”

Pressure on the government from military ranks

Recently, resistance in the army has also increased. About 10,000 reservists announced that they would no longer serve if the government did not stop their plans. According to reports, this could significantly affect the military’s operational readiness. By Friday, more than 1,000 Air Force reservists had already threatened to refuse service. Defense Secretary Joav Galant then announced that he was trying to find a “consensus”.

Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies wrote on Sunday, “The damage to Israel’s national security has become a reality.” If the law is not stopped, it will harm not only the military, but also the economy and relations with key allies such as the US.

Demands for a general strike

Thousands had marched to the headquarters of the Confederation of Labor (Histadrut) on Saturday demanding a general strike. The 800,000-member trade union federation had already called for a general strike at the end of March over Netanyahu’s firing of Galant. The minister had previously criticized the restructuring of the judiciary. Netanyahu then temporarily suspended the plans and the resignation was reversed.

(SDA)

Source:Blick