Massive protests in Israel: will Netanyahu stop judicial reform?

Mass protests, a general strike and the army on alert: the protests against the planned judicial reform in Israel have reached a new high. The pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu is immense: will he stop the reform?

In Israel, the political crisis escalated dramatically after the dismissal of Defense Minister Joav Galant because of his criticism of a controversial judicial reform. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets during the night to protest against the dismissal ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the reform plans of his right-wing religious government. The protests continued in the morning.

general strike announced

The umbrella organization of trade unions in Israel announced a “historic” general strike. Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv is also affected. Tens of thousands of passengers are expected to wait or rebook.

President calls for an immediate stop

President Isaac Herzog called on the government to back down. “For the sake of the unity of the Israeli people, for the sake of responsibility, I urge you to stop legislation immediately,” he said early in the morning. The people are in deep fear.

In view of the precarious situation, according to media reports, Netanyahu held an emergency meeting during the night to decide how to proceed. He is said to have discussed a possible suspension of the reform project with coalition politicians.

Planned speech to the nation

Accordingly, Netanyahu is planning a speech to the nation later today. According to media reports, the speech originally planned for 9:00 a.m. (CEST) was delayed in the morning. The background is said to be a dispute within the coalition. Accordingly, several ministers announced that they would resign if Netanyahu announced that the reform would be halted.

Core element of the reform clears another hurdle

Regardless of the massive protests, a core element of the controversial reform cleared another hurdle in the morning. Parliament’s Judiciary Committee approved the text of the law intended to change the composition of the Judiciary Committee. At the same time, the draft was referred to the plenum for the final reading. The change in law would give the government a majority on the body and considerable influence over the appointment of judges.

Defense Minister fired

Netanyahu had dismissed Galant the night before because of his call to halt judicial reform. There have been violent protests for months against the reform, which aims to curtail the influence of the Supreme Court and strengthen the government’s position of power at the expense of the independent judiciary.

The previous defense minister called on the government to engage in dialogue with critics on Saturday evening. He warned that national security and, in particular, the army’s operational capability were at stake. For weeks there has been talk of growing resentment in the military, and numerous reservists did not show up for duty in protest against the reform.

Tens of thousands protest

The anger of many people, who fear for democracy in Israel, is breaking out in the streets. In Tel Aviv on Sunday evening, demonstrators with Israeli flags blocked the central road to Jerusalem and set tires on fire. The police used cavalry squadrons and water cannons against the crowd, from which stones were thrown at the emergency services.

In Jerusalem, angry people broke through a roadblock next to Netanyahu’s home. Universities announced a temporary freeze on teaching in protest at Galant’s dismissal and reform plans. Several mayors went on hunger strike, demanding an immediate containment of the national crisis.

Opposition: “Red line crossed”

In a joint statement, opposition politicians Jair Lapid and Benny Gantz called on Netanyahu’s party colleagues “not to participate in the destruction of national security”. The head of government “crossed a red line”.

US calls for compromise

The plans have also triggered international criticism. The US government, the most important ally, expressed “deeply concerned”. In view of the planned “fundamental changes to a democratic system,” the White House urged the Israeli leadership to find a compromise as soon as possible.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that Israel was in the greatest danger since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Arab states had surprisingly attacked Israel on the holiest Jewish holiday. Bennett called on Netanyahu to reverse Galant’s sacking, suspend reform and engage in dialogue with opponents.

Security experts warn

Security experts warn that enemies of Israel – above all Iran, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and militant Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip – could seize the opportunity to attack the country, which has been weakened by the crisis.