Defends judiciary restructuring: Netanyahu provokes new protests

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After a speech by the head of government on Thursday evening, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in several cities for “a night of resistance”. According to media reports, there were also violent clashes with the police. More than a dozen people were arrested.

Opposition leader: Netanyahu is tearing the country apart

Netanyahu’s government is deliberately seeking to weaken the country’s highest court. According to her, the independent judiciary has too much influence on political decisions. A major law from the project is expected to be passed early next week. Opponents see the separation of powers and thus democracy in danger. Some even warn of the creeping introduction of a dictatorship.

In his speech on Thursday evening, the conservative head of government dismissed the fear as “absurd”. He spoke of the fact that the law even “strengthens democracy”. Changes to the legal text are still possible. However, observers consider this unlikely. Any change would have to be approved again by the Judiciary Commission. The law would probably not be able to pass before the start of the break at the end of July, as the government is aiming for.

Opposition leader Jair Lapid said on Twitter: “Tonight we saw a head of government tearing the country apart instead of uniting it. He lies instead of telling the truth.”

Speech sparks protests

After the speech, hundreds of people poured into the streets across the country. In the Mediterranean metropolis of Tel Aviv, demonstrators temporarily blocked a central highway. Photos showed objects being set on fire on the road. Angry protesters also disrupted traffic in other cities. Police used water cannon and mounted officers to disperse the crowd.

The protests continued on Friday. On Tuesday night, people marched from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And the number of people participating is growing every day. There were still hundreds at the start of the approximately 70-kilometer hike, according to the organizers, more than 10,000 demonstrators already participated on Friday. Your goal is to reach the parliament in Jerusalem with hundreds of thousands of people on Saturday. Videos showed the miles-long crowd with Israeli flags and protest signs winding along dirt roads.

Further rallies and protests by opponents of the judiciary restructuring have been announced for the weekend. There is also a large demonstration by supporters of the reform in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening.

special session on Sunday

A core element of the government’s plans could be passed in parliament early next week. The government convened a special session of the Knesset on Sunday. However, the vote is not expected until Monday at the earliest.

If the law were passed, the Supreme Court would no longer be able to judge decisions made by the government or individual ministers as “improper”.

The State of Israel has no written constitution and is instead based on a set of fundamental laws. Therefore, the Supreme Court is of particular importance in upholding the rule of law and human rights.

Earlier this year, Netanyahu was forced to fire his interior minister after judges deemed his appointment “inappropriate” because of his criminal past. Observers expect that the coalition wants to reverse this with the new law. Critics also fear that opponents of government policy in key positions could be fired arbitrarily.

Thousands of people have been taking to the streets against the reform for more than six months. The pressure on Netanyahu also comes from the military. According to Israeli media, more than 1,000 Air Force reservists announced on Friday that they would no longer serve if the law is passed. There are also similar announcements from other parts of the military.

(SDA)

Source: Blick