Judiciary reform in Israel in decisive phase – Herzog wants compromise Tens of thousands demonstrate in Israel for and against judiciary reform

Israeli President Izchak Herzog is pushing for a compromise between the government and the opposition ahead of a decisive vote in parliament on part of the controversial judicial reform. According to his office, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Jair Lapid on Sunday night. “There must be an agreement” duke asked. All previous negotiations between the right-wing coalition and the opposition have so far failed.

Parliament in Jerusalem began a marathon session on Sunday to finalize a core element of the controversial plans. You can vote on it from this Monday. The law is part of a larger package that critics see as a threat to Israeli democracy. Some even warn against the introduction of a dictatorship.

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. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across the country on Saturday against the judicial reform.

Herzog and Netanyahu: Meeting in the 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 there. According to the doctors, he survived the procedure well.

A coalition of the country’s 150 largest companies called for a strike on Monday. According to the media, some large shopping centers are also affected by the work stoppage. Several large high-tech companies are also reportedly planning to join the strike. The start-up scene is considered the main driver of the Israeli economy.

According to the media, the umbrella organization of trade unions (Histadrut) wants to decide on Monday whether a general strike will be called. Opponents of the reform have long argued for this. The union federation, which has 800,000 members, had already called for a general strike in late March over Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Secretary Joav Galant. Galant had previously criticized the restructuring of the judiciary. Netanyahu then temporarily suspended the plans and Galant’s resignation was reversed.

The defense minister recently announced that he was trying to find a “consensus” in the reform dispute. Opposition to the government’s plan is growing within the army. About 10,000 reservists announced over the weekend that they no longer wanted to appear in service if the coalition did not stop their plans. According to reports, this could significantly affect the military’s operational readiness. (saw/sda/dpa)