Status: 03/27/2023 8:20 p.m
In view of the massive protests in his country, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to postpone the controversial judicial reform. It is important to first create a social consensus, he said in a speech.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the country’s controversial judicial reform will be postponed. “I have decided to suspend the second and third readings in this part-session,” said the Prime Minister in a televised speech. The legislative proposal will therefore be submitted to Parliament for a vote at the end of April at the earliest.
Netanyahu said he wanted to give time to find a compromise with opponents of the reform, who have mobilized mass protests once morest the project in recent days. “If there is a chance of avoiding civil war through dialogue, I, as prime minister, take a break for dialogue.” He was determined to reform the judiciary, but is now calling for “an attempt to reach a broad consensus”.
A private army for the police minister?
Israel’s Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir previously announced that he had reached an agreement with Netanyahu on a postponement. In return, a “national guard” is to be set up under the leadership of the far-right politician. What this means in concrete terms was not initially clear.
However, critics have already spoken of a tax-financed private army of Ben-Gvir. They expressed concern that the armed forces might act more brutally once morest demonstrators from the liberal camp than the police.
According to media reports, Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu had previously met for an emergency meeting, in which Ben-Gvir is said to have threatened to resign if Netanyahu did not stick to the reform plans.
Less influence for the Supreme Court
With the judicial reform, Netanyahu’s coalition wants to curtail the influence of the Supreme Court and expand the government’s position of power. The right-wing religious coalition accuses the Supreme Court of excessive interference in political decisions.
According to the plans, Parliament should be able to overturn court decisions with a simple majority. In addition, the composition of the body for appointing judges is to be changed.
Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, says the reform is necessary to restore balance in the separation of powers. Critics, on the other hand, fear that the separation of powers will be abolished and democracy in Israel will be undermined.
Rallies in Tel Aviv
The government’s plans to restructure the judiciary have been causing mass protests for weeks. Demonstrations paralyzed large parts of Israel today. The trade union confederation Histradrut had called on its approximately 800,000 members to go on strike. At times, no planes took off from Ben Gurion Airport, and shopping centers and kindergartens remained closed.
At a large rally in front of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “We have no problem with people who think differently than we do. But if they want us to live together here, they have to respect our values.”
First critical minister had to go
Prime Minister Netanyahu had fueled the massive protest with the dismissal of Defense Minister Joav Galant on Sunday evening. Galant had previously called for talks with critics and a halt to controversial plans for judicial reform, and warned of a threat to Israel’s security.
President Izchak Herzog had also repeatedly appealed to the government to give in. “For the sake of the unity of the Israeli people, I urge you to stop legislation immediately,” he said today. The people are in deep fear.
