tDespite massive resistance, the Israeli Parliament passed a key element of controversial judicial reform. After days of debate, 64 of the 120 lawmakers voted in favor of a bill on Monday that would limit the Supreme Court’s ability to act. The opposition boycotted the vote. The law is part of a larger package. Critics see this as a threat to Israeli democracy.
With the new law, it will no longer be possible for the Supreme Court to assess the decision of the government or individual ministers as „inappropriate”. Critics fear that this will encourage corruption and thus the arbitrary filling of important positions and layoffs. On the other hand, the Netanyahu government accuses the judiciary of excessive interference in political decisions.
The protest movement had announced that it would continue its protest „until the end”. „We’re just getting started,” said the organizers.
Source: Ariel Schalit / AP / dpa
During a demonstration in the evening, a car crashed into a crowd of demonstrators. Police said three people were wounded in a town north of Tel Aviv. Officials arrested the driver, whose motive was unclear in the evening, after a search.
Protesters closed lane. A video posted online showed the car driving through the crowd in the street with full force and no regard.
Opposition party deputies boycotted the vote, chanting „Shame, shame!” Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who, like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, met President Isaac Herzog shortly before the vote, said Israel was „on the way to disaster.” Announce the consequences. On Monday, he said the opposition would petition the High Court on Tuesday morning against „a unilateral suspension of the democratic character of the State of Israel.”
The head of the Histadrut workers union, Arnon Bar-David, declared a general strike on Monday. He said any „unilateral step” in judicial reform would have „serious consequences”. „If necessary” there will be a general strike.
The United States, Israel’s most important ally, described the parliamentary vote as „unfortunate”.
Netanyahu described the vote, which took place despite international protests and mass protests, as a „necessary democratic step”. He added that the so-called sufficiency condition was adopted to allow the „elected government” to implement its policies „according to the decision of the majority of the country’s citizens.”
The federal government is concerned with development. „We deeply regret the failure of negotiations between the government and the opposition, mediated by President Isaac Herzog, at this time,” the Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Germany views „with great concern the exacerbating tensions in Israeli society.”
The State of Israel has no written constitution and is based instead on a set of basic laws. Therefore, the Supreme Court is of particular importance in upholding the rule of law and human rights.
For more than six months, the project divided large sections of Israeli society. Thousands of people regularly take to the streets to protest the weakening of the judiciary. Negotiations, even at the last minute, about a settlement were unsuccessful.
Opponents of judicial reform protested in front of the Knesset. Participants in a sit-in in front of the entrance were turned away
Source: Agence France-Presse / Hazem Bader
Recently, resistance within the army has also increased. More than ten thousand reservists have announced that they will not appear for duty if some controversial plans are approved. There were also such threats from businessmen and other parts of society.
The coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who just had heart surgery over the weekend, is the country’s most right-wing of all. The changes in the law are also under pressure from Netanyahu’s religious coalition partners. However, according to experts, they could also play in favor of Netanyahu in a corruption process that has been going on against him for some time.
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