The World Briefly

April 03, 2023

No Quarter

Israel

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Hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the country over the weekend, the latest unrest targeting Israel’s conservative government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary and the first protests since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paused the bill last week, the Washington Post reported.

Protests took place in more than 100 locations, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, nearly a week after Netanyahu put on hold the plan to give the government and lawmakers more power in appointing judges, as well as allow parliament to overrule the country’s Supreme Court.

Since it was proposed earlier this year, the reform plan has faced intense opposition from many facets of Israeli society, including tech companies, trade unions, and military reservists. The draft legislation also received criticism from US President Joe Biden, who urged Netanyahu to “walk away from” the planned overhaul.

Meanwhile, opposition has also emerged from the country’s figurehead President Isaac Herzog and members of Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Netanyahu and his coalition – consisting of religious and hardline right-wing parties – maintain that the bill aims to create a proper balance between the elected government and the unelected judiciary. But critics have described it as a judicial coup that risks undermining Israel’s legal checks and balances.

Last week, the government moved to pause the package following popular and political pressure, including a general strike that ground Israel’s economy to a halt.

But opponents see the move as a delaying tactic and said it was necessary to continue pressure until the plan is permanently shelved.

The crisis has also raised concerns about Israel’s national security, as thousands of reservists have vowed to refuse to report for service if the bill becomes law. Israeli authorities are currently on high alert ahead of the convergence of the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan next week.

There is also rising concern among security officials over reports that Netanyahu has promised his far-right ally, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the formation of a “national guard” under the latter’s authority.

The move came after Ben Gvir threatened to quit the coalition if the prime minister backed down from the judicial reform.

Some military and security officials have warned that the force could end up as Ben Gvir’s own private militia, the newspaper said.

This story originally appeared in the April 03, 2023 newsletter, Waterfront Property.