In view of the ongoing mass protests once morest the planned restructuring of the judiciary, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant has spoken out in favor of a one-month break in the legislative process. “We have to stop the legislative process,” Galant said last night, speaking of a month. A continuing division of the population on this issue might become a “real threat to Israel’s security.”
Whoever wins this tug-of-war, “on the street or in the Knesset,” the State of Israel will be the “loser,” the defense minister said in a speech. Galant called for a pause before MPs are due to vote next week on a key item in the government’s plans that would change the process of selecting judges in favor of politics. At the same time, Galant called for an end to the demonstrations.
Hundreds of thousands on the streets
Meanwhile, around 200,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv once morest the planned restructuring of the Israeli judiciary, as estimated by the Israeli media. “That’s all we can hope for, that he (Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) leads us away from the brink,” said one protester.
In Jerusalem, thousands of demonstrators marched past President Isaac Herzog’s residence. “It’s very bad for our country,” said one protester. The reforms “will have a very negative impact on marginalized groups – on lesbians, gays and the Arab population”.
Mass protests once morest the reform have been taking place in Israel for eleven weeks. Israel’s most important allies, including the United States, have also questioned the reform plans. Overall, the plans of the ultra-right governing coalition aim to limit the powers of the judiciary. Netanyahu describes the restructuring as necessary in order to restore the balance in the separation of powers.
