As of: 03/23/2023 11:01 p.m
Despite weeks of protests, the Israeli parliament has passed a law protecting the prime minister from impeachment. In the evening thousands took to the streets again. Prime Minister Netanyahu tries to appease.
The Israeli government is moving forward with its plan to further weaken the judiciary. The parliament in Jerusalem passed a law that will make it much more difficult in future to declare a prime minister incapacitated. This is the first change in the law as part of a highly controversial judicial reform by the new right-wing religious government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In the evening, thousands took to the streets across Israel to demonstrate against the change in the law. There were occasional confrontations with the police. In the coastal cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, among others, the forces used water cannons to take action against demonstrators. Dozens of people have been arrested across the country, according to media reports.
Netanyahu postpones trip to London
A large crowd marched in front of Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem. The head of government postponed an official trip to the UK until early Friday morning and promised in a televised speech to “heal the rift” running through the country.
“We will ensure the basic rights of all Israeli citizens – Jews and non-Jews, secular and religious, women, the LGBTQ community, everyone without exception,” Netanyahu said. “I will do whatever it takes to calm the waters and heal the rift in the nation because we are family.” Nevertheless, he made it clear that he intends to push the bill further.
The protest movement immediately rejected Netanyahu’s statements. “We have seen tonight a dictator-in-the-making who, instead of stopping the legal coup, continues the hostile takeover of the Supreme Court,” it said in a statement.
Lapid: Not interested in dialogue
Opposition leader Jair Lapid said Netanyahu had made it clear he had no intention of “having any real dialogue”. The opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman announced that he would take action before the Supreme Court. Former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said: “Either Israel will be a Jewish, democratic and progressive state, or a religious, totalitarian, failing, isolated and closed state.”
The law passed stipulates that an Israeli prime minister can only be declared unfit to govern on grounds of health or mental health. At the same time, only the incumbent or his government can make that decision. A suspicion of corruption or a conflict of interest are not sufficient reasons for such a step. Critics say the law is tailored for Netanyahu, encourages corruption and deepens rifts among Israelis over judicial reform disputes.
Gap between secular and religious Israelis
Demands for the country’s attorney general to declare the prime minister unfit to govern because of his legal problems had previously been growing louder. The Attorney General has already barred Netanyahu from participating in the judicial reform because his corruption case could result in a conflict of interest.
Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, embezzlement and taking bribes in a series of scandals involving wealthy partners and powerful media moguls. He denies wrongdoing and rejects allegations that he was trying to circumvent a process through the legal reform his government is pushing for.
The crisis has exacerbated the long-standing divide between secular and religious Israelis over the role religion should play in their everyday lives. The government rejected a compromise proposal to defuse the crisis earlier this month. She announced she would postpone most voting until after the month-long parliamentary recess in April. However, the government is pushing ahead with the core of the reform: its own control over the appointment of judges.
Knesset passes impeachment law – Netanyahu could benefit
Julio Segador, ARD Tel Aviv, 23.3.2023 11:34 a.m