According to local media, a good quarter of a million people in Israel have protested against the controversial judicial reform of the right-wing religious government. In central Tel Aviv, demonstrators rallied for the 11th consecutive Saturday with Israeli flags and protest signs. Among other things, it read: “No to the dictatorship” or “Israel is not yet Iran”. There were also protests in cities like Jerusalem and Beersheba.
There were isolated cases of arrests and violent attacks by supporters of the reform on demonstrators. Opposition leader Jair Lapid wrote on Twitter that he condemned the “extreme increase in violence”. You will not silence the demonstrators.
For more than two months, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Israel against the comprehensive legislative proposal. Among other things, Parliament should be able to overrule decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority. In addition, politicians should have more influence in the appointment of judges. The coalition wants to push through key elements of the controversial reform in fast-track procedures by the end of the month. Critics see the separation of powers as a pillar of democracy in danger and warn of a dangerous state crisis.
Netanyahu rejects Herzog’s compromise proposal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately rejected a compromise proposal presented by Israeli President Izchak Herzog on Wednesday. It is unbalanced and only cements the current state. The opposition backed the proposal. “It’s not perfect, but it’s a fair compromise that allows us to live here together,” said opposition leader Jair Lapid. In a civil war there are only losers. Herzog emphasized that the proposal was intended as a basis for talks.
The protest movement is one of the largest in Israel’s history and encompasses broad sections of society. There is also increasing resistance from the army. Hundreds of elite officers from the military reserve, for example, announced that they would no longer report for duty from Sunday.
