Israel’s governing coalition wants to weaken the judiciary. From the point of view of Prime Minister Netanyahu, the controversial reform strengthens democracy. The opposition and opponents of the reform do not believe this.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the judiciary reform of his right-wing religious government, triggering large demonstrations again.
A law to be passed as part of the reform in the coming days will “strengthen democracy,” Netanyahu said in a speech. Critics, on the other hand, see democracy in danger because of the planned weakening of the judiciary. “All these statements about the destruction of democracy are simply absurd,” said the head of government.
According to Netanyahu, efforts are still being made to reach an agreement on the draft law. He left it open what these efforts would look like.
Tens of thousands of people have been protesting for months
According to the media, the law could come into force as early as Monday or Tuesday. It would then no longer be possible for the Supreme Court to judge decisions by the government or individual ministers as “inappropriate”.
At the beginning of the year, Netanyahu had to dismiss his interior minister because the judges had classified the appointment as “inappropriate” because of his criminal past. Observers expect that the coalition wants to reverse this with the new law. Critics also feared that opponents of government policy in key positions could be arbitrarily dismissed.
Tens of thousands of people have been protesting against the reform for months. After Netanyahu’s speech, thousands demonstrated again into the night. In Tel Aviv, demonstrators temporarily blocked a central highway. They also disrupted traffic in other cities. The police used water cannons and, according to the media, arrested several people. Accordingly, the security forces used violence against demonstrators at several rallies.
Pressure on Netanyahu has also recently come from the military. According to media reports, thousands of reservists have already announced that they no longer want to appear on duty in protest against the government’s plans. “In a democracy, the military is subordinate to the government and does not put pressure on the government,” he said. Refusal to do military service endangers democracy.
Stress test of the relationship between Israel and the USA
“Israel will continue to be liberal and democratic, it will not become a state of religious law, and it will protect the rights of all,” the Israeli Prime Minister said. Many secular Israelis fear a growing influence of religion. Netanyahu’s coalition also includes religious hardliners who are pushing for a weakening of the judiciary.
The controversial plans and generally the course of the right-wing religious government have also become a stress test for the relationship between Israel and the USA, the most important ally.
In his speech yesterday, the Prime Minister accused the opposition of being responsible for the failure of a dialogue to reach a consensus on the reform. The talks between the government and the opposition mediated by Israel’s President Izchak Herzog had not brought any agreement after months of wrangling.
Several opposition politicians and the organizers of the protests, on the other hand, accused the head of government of lying in his speech.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
