Israeli President Izchak Herzog has described the dispute over judicial reform as the “worst internal crisis since the state was founded” 75 years ago. At the same time, in an interview with the Israeli news site ynet published on Monday, he expressed hope that the country could emerge stronger from the drama. Celebrations of Israel’s 75th anniversary begin Tuesday night. They are overshadowed by the dispute over judicial reform, which opponents reject as a threat to democracy.
“The judiciary reform, the things that happened around the formation of this government, the coalition agreements – all of this is exploding at once,” Herzog said. Many see the reform sought by Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government as a “change in the world order.”
Herzog: “The world is watching us”
The crisis is being watched with concern by Israel’s allies, Herzog said. “The world is watching us, our enemies are celebrating and our friends are worried. I get asked what’s going on.”
“Beyond the questions that have occupied us since the early days of Zionism, about the balance between Jewish and democratic, the influence of religion on our lives and the limitation of power, there are many psychological aspects,” Herzog said of the current dispute . “We are a people gathered from 100 different places.” Many of these people have had traumatic experiences.
“I think it’s a development process, if we get through it as a society, with agreed guidelines, we can come out stronger,” said Herzog on mediation efforts between the government and the opposition at his office. “We must do everything we can to prevent the alternative, an irreparable split.”
