Protests continue, Netanyahu dissatisfied with negotiations – 3 points on current situation

The first negotiations have ended

Representatives of the right-wing religious coalition and the opposition met on Tuesday evening for initial negotiations at the president’s residence. The talks ended after about an hour and a half “in good spirits”, as President Izchak Herzog’s office subsequently announced in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously postponed the bill after massive protests to create “space for dialogue”.

It was unclear whether a compromise proposed by Herzog a few weeks ago should serve as the basis for the negotiations. Netanyahu had rejected the comprehensive proposal as “unbalanced”. The opposition supported it.

The protests continue

Despite the announced postponement of the controversial judicial reform, opponents of the government’s plans continue their protest. Dozens of people gathered in front of the president’s residence in Jerusalem in the evening to protest the start of negotiations. In Tel Aviv, there were demonstrations in the afternoon with hundreds of demonstrators.

With the judicial reform, Netanyahu’s coalition wants to limit the influence of the Supreme Court and increase the government’s position of power. She accuses the Supreme Court of excessive interference in political decisions. In the future, for example, parliament must be able to overturn decisions by the Supreme Court by a simple majority. Critics see the separation of powers in danger and warn of a state crisis if the reform is implemented in this way.

After large parts of economic life came to a standstill on Monday due to a general strike in protest against the reform, things returned to normal on Tuesday. Planes also took off regularly at the international airport.

Biden rejects Netanyahu

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden put a damper on the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Washington in the near future. When asked if he would invite Netanyahu to the White House, Biden told reporters on Tuesday, “Not anytime soon.” Biden criticized the controversial judicial reform.

A staunch supporter of Israel, he was concerned, the US president said when asked about the state of democracy in the country. “You won’t get any further that way.” Biden later added that he hoped Netanyahu would abandon judicial reform plans.

Netanyahu responded on Twitter that he appreciated Biden’s support. But Israel is a sovereign country that does not make decisions under pressure from abroad, “not even from best friends”. (con/sda)