Mass protests in Israel amid changes in judicial system
2023.02.13 09:08
Mass protests in Israel amid changes in judicial system
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – Warnings that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to weaken the judiciary could send Israel into a “social collapse” prompted tens of thousands of flag-waving Israelis to gather at the nation’s parliament on Monday.
Protesters waved signs that read, “there is no democracy without equality” and “destroying the country to avoid trial,” implying that Netanyahu’s government’s planned judicial reforms are motivated by his desire to halt his corruption trials.
Among the many Israeli flags in the crowd were a few Palestinian flags and a few LGBTQ rainbow flags.
Television images depicted demonstrators wearing long red dresses and white head coverings, resembling handmaids from the dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
The government began presenting the reform bill in parliament, the Knesset, on Monday as planned, despite the protest and President Isaac Herzog’s passionate plea on Sunday night not to begin the legislative process. Israel, according to Herzog, is potentially in danger of “a violent collision” and is “on the brink of constitutional and social collapse.”
Before the protest even started, agitated opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” during the meeting of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee on the bill.
Before being removed by security, some of them jumped over tables to yell at coalition members.
The bill was approved by the committee, and the full Knesset will likely give it its first reading on Wednesday.
The coalition led by Netanyahu is seeking the most comprehensive reform of the Israeli legal system since its inception.
The most significant changes would make it possible for a simple majority in the Knesset to overturn decisions made by the Supreme Court.
Additionally, the reforms aim to alter the selection process for judges and eliminate the legally binding opinions of government ministries’ independent legal advisors.
In a statement to the New York Times on Sunday, US President Joe Biden, who rarely expresses his opinion on internal Israeli politics, called for consensus: The fact that both Israeli democracy and American democracy are founded on robust institutions, checks and balances, and an independent judiciary is their greatest strength. To ensure that people will support fundamental changes and allow them to be sustained, consensus building is crucial.
In the meantime, Israeli President Herzog demanded a halt to the legislative process in an unusual primetime address on Sunday evening so that both sides could collaborate on consensus-based reforms.
Herzog presented a five-point plan for reform, which included altering the method by which judges are chosen and strengthening components of the country’s Basic Law. He recognized that both sides ought to have their voices heard. There is no written constitution in Israel.
Israeli Minister of Justice Yariv Levin stated that while there were “positive elements in his proposal,” there were also “also elements that perpetuate the existing abnormal situation,” despite the fact that the United States of America praised Herzog’s speech.
However, according to Levin, “along with advancing the legislation, we all have enough time to be able to talk and reach understandings before the second and third readings,” the legislative process should not be halted for such discussions.
Before becoming law, Israeli bills must pass three readings in the Knesset.
