Israeli government under enormous pressure after violent protests – the situation in 7 points

Israel’s government is set to talk about halting its highly controversial judicial reform after violent protests broke out in the country on Monday night. The Jerusalem Post reported this early Monday morning. The country’s president Izchak Herzog then officially called on the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “stop the legislation”.

Earlier, after the resignation of the critical Defense Minister Joaw Galant, protests in the country had intensified considerably. An overview of the events of the past 48 hours:

That happened

Israel has been rocked by the most violent protests since they began a few weeks ago. The reason is the resignation of Defense Minister Joaw Galant on Sunday evening. Galant was critical of the highly controversial judicial reform and was therefore removed from office by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening.

The protests escalated significantly on Monday evening – Israeli media reports that up to 600,000 people took to the streets in cities across the country to express their displeasure. The protests also led to clashes with the sometimes overwhelmed police.

Observers now fear that the situation in the country could escalate completely if judicial reform is not stopped by the arch-conservative right-wing religious government. Netanyahu’s predecessor as prime minister, Naftali Bennett, sees his country in the most dangerous situation since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. There are also fears that the numerous hostile countries and groups in the region could make the domestic situation vulnerable to attacks.

The resignation of Joaw Galant

Joaw Galant is a former senior military officer and has served as Minister of Defense in the Israeli government since December 2022. The 64-year-old, who like Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs to the conservative Likud party, spoke out over the weekend in favor of suspending the planned judicial reform in response to pressure from the street. He suggested entering into a dialogue with the demonstrators.

Galant’s announcement came as a surprise, as the government has always supported the implementation of the reform, despite large and ongoing protests. In addition, the implementation of some core elements of the reform was imminent, and Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition wanted to enshrine it in the coming days.

Galant warned that the country’s national security could be seriously damaged if the reform plans were ruthlessly implemented. The defense minister pointed out, among other things, that resistance to the judicial reform is growing, especially in the army. Numerous reservists did not show up in protest.

In response to Galant’s criticism, Netanhayu has relieved him of his position as defense minister, it was announced Sunday evening.

The current protests

However, the dismissal has in no way led to a stabilization of the situation. On the contrary, the protests of the past few hours have intensified significantly in solidarity with Galant.

There were massive protests, especially in the city of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast. Numerous protesters blocked the central road to Jerusalem in the center of the country. There were also skirmishes, vandalism and arson. Police deployed cavalry squads and water cannons against the crowd, which sent stones and other objects flying at the emergency services. Videos and photos on social media show that the police were sometimes overwhelmed by the crowd of people.

According to unconfirmed reports, officials and police chiefs have joined the protesters.

But there were also fierce protests in other cities. In Jerusalem, angry people broke through a roadblock near Benjamin Netanyahu’s home.

Several Israeli universities had previously announced temporary suspensions of education in protest of Galant’s dismissal and reform plans. Several mayors went on hunger strike demanding an immediate containment of the national crisis.

The general strike

Against the background of mass protests against the controversial judicial reform, the umbrella organization of trade unions in Israel (Histadrut) called for a general strike on Monday. Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv is also affected.

“I have ordered the immediate stop at the airport,” said Ben Gurion Airport Workers’ Union leader Pinchas Idan. Tens of thousands are expected to be affected by the flight changes.

Histadrut called the “historic” labor strike to end “the madness” of the government’s contentious judicial reform. The strike will begin if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not announce a halt to reform plans.

That is what reform of the judiciary is all about

The reform that the right-wing coalition, which has been in power for the past three months, aims to overhaul the Israeli justice system. Implementation would weaken the position of the judge and strengthen that of politicians. In the future, parliament should be able to overturn Supreme Court decisions by a simple majority and the prime minister should be better protected against dismissal.

Protesters and critics from other countries see the reform as an attempt to weaken democracy in Israel by watering down the separation of powers. Among other things, it is even said that if the reform is implemented, dictatorial tendencies could emerge in the Israeli system.

The reactions

The United States, Israel’s most important and most powerful ally, is also concerned about the reform. In a statement, the White House was “deeply concerned” about the plans. The planned “fundamental changes in a democratic system” should be reconsidered, and the US also urged “to find a compromise as soon as possible”.

In addition to the reactions from abroad, there is also clear criticism from Israeli opposition politicians. Former Prime Minister Jair Lapid and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz called on Netanyahu’s Likud party colleagues “not to participate in the destruction of national security” in a joint statement. The head of government has “crossed a red line”.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that Israel was in the greatest danger since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Surprisingly, Arab states had attacked Israel on the holiest Jewish holiday. Bennett called on Netanyahu to reverse Galant’s resignation, suspend reforms and engage in dialogue with opponents. He warned the demonstrators not to use violence and to avoid bloodshed. “We are brothers,” Bennett wrote.

What’s next?

In fact, Netanyahu’s support within his own party appears to be crumbling. The public criticism of ex-Minister of Defense Galant is a clear indication of this. According to a report in the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, other Likud politicians are now campaigning to stop the judicial reform. According to Haaretz newspaper, influential party figures are calling for the resignation of Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who linked his political fate to reform.

Netanyahu’s three-month-old coalition — the most right-wing the country has ever had — actually wanted to push through core elements of the reform in the coming days. Recent events have left it unclear whether the vote on the law will take place as scheduled on Monday.

With material from the SDA and DPA news agencies.