Government: Netanyahu defends judicial restructuring against harsh criticism

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his government’s plans to weaken the judiciary, fueling renewed protests in the country. After a speech by the head of government on Thursday evening, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in several cities for “a night of resistance”. According to media reports, there were also violent clashes with the police. More than a dozen people were arrested.

Opposition leader: Netanyahu is tearing the country apart

Netanyahu’s government wants to deliberately weaken the country’s highest court. In her view, the independent judiciary has too much influence on political decisions. A key law of the project is expected to be passed early next week. Opponents see the separation of powers and thus democracy in danger. Some even warn against the creeping introduction of a dictatorship.

In his speech on Thursday evening, the conservative head of government dismissed the fears as “absurd”. He said the law would even “strengthen democracy.” Changes to the legal text are still possible. However, observers consider this unlikely. Any change would have to be approved by the Judiciary Committee again. The law could then probably not be passed by the beginning of the break in sessions at the end of July, as the government is aiming for.

Opposition leader Jair Lapid said on Twitter: “Tonight we saw a head of government tearing the country apart instead of uniting it. He lies instead of telling the truth”.

Speech further fuels protests

After the speech, hundreds of people across the country flocked to the streets. In the metropolis of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea, demonstrators temporarily blocked a central highway. Pictures showed objects on the road being set on fire. Angry demonstrators also disrupted traffic in other cities. Police used water cannon and officers on horseback to disperse the crowd.

The protests continued on Friday. On Tuesday evening, people set out on a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And the number of people participating is growing every day. While there were still hundreds at the beginning of the approximately 70-kilometer hike, more than 10,000 demonstrators took part on Friday, according to the organizers. Your goal is to reach the parliament in Jerusalem with hundreds of thousands of people on Saturday. Videos showed the kilometer-long crowd with Israeli flags and protest signs weaving along dirt roads.

Further rallies and protests by opponents of the restructuring of the judiciary have been announced for the weekend. There will also be a large demonstration by supporters of the reform in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening.

special session on Sunday

A core element of the government’s plans could be passed in parliament early next week. The government has convened a special session of the Knesset for Sunday. However, the vote is not expected until Monday at the earliest.

If the law were to be passed, the Supreme Court would no longer be able to judge decisions by the government or individual ministers as “inappropriate”.

The State of Israel does not have a written constitution and is instead based on a set of fundamental laws. Therefore, the Supreme Court is of particular importance in upholding the rule of law and human rights.

At the beginning of the year, Netanyahu had to dismiss his interior minister because the judges had deemed his appointment “inappropriate” because of his criminal past. Observers expect that the coalition wants to reverse this with the new law. Critics also fear that opponents of government policy in key positions could be arbitrarily dismissed.

Thousands of people have been taking to the streets against the reform for more than six months. Pressure on Netanyahu also comes from the military. According to Israeli media, more than 1,000 air force reservists announced on Friday that they would no longer be on duty if the law were passed. There have also been similar announcements from other areas of the military.