Protesters in Israel fear “the end of democracy” – that’s behind it Two men fake their deaths during a police check in Germany

What’s going on in Israel?

More than 100,000 people took to the streets in Israel last weekend to demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. According to media reports, about 100,000 people protested in Tel Aviv alone. Thousands of people also took to the streets in the cities of Jerusalem, Haifa and Be’er Sheva.

The demonstrators leveled serious accusations against Netanyahu and his government. “Stop the End of Democracy” read some posters, some read “Criminals” with a picture of the prime minister.

It was the largest demonstration to date against the country’s current government. There would have been about 1,000 police officers in Tel Aviv. After the swearing-in at the end of December, there were repeated protests.

What’s behind the protests?

The main trigger for the weekend’s major protests is a plan by Justice Minister Jariv Levin that would lead to fundamental changes in the country’s judicial system. Levin wants to ensure that the national parliament can pass new laws without them having to be approved by the highest court.

Since Israel does not have a definitive constitution, the Supreme Court plays a central role in defending fundamental laws. The new rule would allow these to be overruled again, giving ministers much more power. Parliament should also have more say in the appointment of judges.

The demonstrators fear that these plans will put an end to democracy. Former Prime Minister Jair Lapid, who was also among the protesters, spoke of a “protest to defend the country”.

Why does the government want to weaken the Supreme Court?

Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners make no secret of how little they feel about the Supreme Court as it stands today. Netanyahu’s Likud party has long accused him of being dominated by left-wing judges who overstep their authority.

Also in these days, the Supreme Court angered the government again. Last week, judges opposed the appointment of Arie Deri as Minister of the Interior and Public Health. According to the Supreme Court, this was “inappropriate”.

The chairman of the strictly religious party Schas has already been convicted several times and assured the court in 2021 in a lawsuit for tax evasion that he would withdraw from politics. Until recently, convicts in Israel were prohibited from holding ministerial posts. The government had specially amended this law to appoint Deri as a minister.

Netanyahu eventually followed the Supreme Court’s ruling and released Deri this weekend, “with a heavy heart and with deep concern,” he said in a statement. He was forced to make this decision, he stressed. Justice Minister Jariv Levin announced that he would “do whatever it takes to right the wrongs against Deri”.

Deri’s appointment was a key demand from the Shas party in coalition talks with Netanyahu. Before the verdict, members of the party threatened to leave the government if Deri lost his post. The party has eleven of the ruling coalition’s 64 seats in parliament.

(dab)