Before the hearing date: protests in Israel in front of the Justice Minister’s house

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Several hundred protesters gathered in front of Justice Minister Jariv Levin’s house in the city of Modiin on Monday morning.

According to reports, there were occasional clashes with police. A large meeting was planned for the evening in Jerusalem in front of the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, all fifteen of the court’s judges will meet for the first time to discuss petitions against a recently passed law. It is part of a comprehensive bill by the right-wing religious government to weaken the judiciary. It is expected that the deliberations could last several weeks. If the court goes against the law and the government does not accept the decision, the country will face a national crisis.

Talks about a compromise with the opposition led by President Izchak Herzog have so far been unsuccessful. On Monday, several Israeli media outlets reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now calling for a unilateral weakening of the law without the consent of the opposition. However, it was unclear whether he would receive sufficient support within his coalition.

Opposition leader Jair Lapid said he had warned there would be a compromise proposal shortly before the trial that “seemed too good to be true.” He accused Netanyahu of trying to gain time for a possible meeting with US President Joe Biden in the US. Opposition politician Benny Gantz indicated he was willing to accept a compromise. “If there is a solution on the table that protects democracy, I will be there.” He doesn’t care what Netanyahu’s motive is.

According to reports, the possible compromise proposal includes revising the passed law and suspending other parts of the comprehensive legislative proposal for 18 months.

(SDA)

Source: Blick