After months of protests, escalating labor strikes, and opposition from within his own party, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that a contentious plan to reform the nation’s judiciary will be postponed.
In a nationally televised speech on Monday, Netanyahu stated, “I, as prime minister, am taking a time out for conversation when there is a possibility to avoid civil war through negotiation.
Although he urged “an attempt to create wide consensus,” he indicated he was adamant about passing a judicial reform. Due to the delay, the bill won’t be up for a vote in parliament until the very end of April.
Some of the largest public demonstrations in Israeli history have taken place in response to the government’s plan to restrict parliament’s oversight of court proceedings; those opposed to the plan have labeled the move a threat to democracy.
After tens of thousands of Israelis protested in front of the Knesset and employees went on strike nationwide, there was a substantial uptick in the number of people opposing Netanyahu’s proposal who spoke out.
Flights were canceled at Ben Gurion International Airport, and work was paused at the country’s key seaports as a result of the mayhem, which also threatened to paralyze the economy. Furthermore closed were McDonald’s restaurants as well as kindergartens and shopping centers.
The largest labor union in the nation, Histadrut, announced it would call off a national strike shortly after the speech.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister and a member of Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition, claimed that he had agreed to the delay in exchange for being allowed to establish a national guard under his ministry, a move that his detractors vehemently condemn as giving him access to a private militia.
The grassroots anti-government protest movement argued that a delay was insufficient prior to the prime minister’s speech.
The national protests will continue to grow until the law is rejected in the Knesset, according to organizers. “A temporary freeze does not suffice.”
According to Haggai Matar, managing director of +972 magazine, the reform’s suspension was likely a “delaying ploy.”
The two elements that need to serve as the basis for negotiations, according to the opposition and the protest movement, have been repeatedly stated, he said.
“One is stopping the legislative process entirely, not just marginally postponing it. Currently, the legislation process is at a place where Netanyahu could restart it and get it adopted in less than a day if he so desired.
Some members of the opposition claim that stating “let’s negotiate” while holding a gun to our temples is equivalent to that.
Although the decision was “better late than never,” opposition leader Benny Gantz insisted that he would not back down from the “basics of democracy” in any discussion of the new law.
In response to Netanyahu’s announcement, the US urged Israeli authorities to engage in negotiations.
According to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, we “strongly urge Israeli officials to achieve a compromise as quickly as possible.”
US President Joe Biden, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby, had expressed his worries about the situation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “quite forthrightly.”
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom, praised the news as well.
In order to maintain a strong system of checks and balances and uphold the common democratic norms that support the partnership between the UK and Israel, Cleverly stated.
Once scheduled for earlier in the day, Netanyahu’s announcement was postponed as far-right cabinet officials reportedly persuaded him to stand his ground.
A growing number of people are opposing Netanyahu’s plan, claiming that it will weaken the independence of the judiciary and turn Israel into an autocracy. This struggle over the plans serves as an illustration of the deep rift in Israeli society between supporters of the government who believe that the judicial changes are required and those who disagree.
Earlier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who typically plays a ceremonial role and stays out of day-to-day politics, also urged a halt to the legislative process.
Herzog said on Monday morning, “I urge on you to suspend the legislative process immediately for the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of duty.
Herzog’s remarks followed the Sunday night demonstrations in many Israeli cities over the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a day after Gallant had urged Netanyahu to drop his plan because it endangered the security of the nation.
Israel’s military readiness has been feared to be harmed as a number of army reservists have refused to be called up in opposition to the government’s proposal.
