Protests are growing in Israel against the law of reasonableness, the first measure approved of the judicial reform, which aims to limit the powers of the Supreme Court. This Tuesday, July 25, the mobilizations were joined by a 24-hour strike by doctors across the country, while black ads covered the front pages of newspapers in a drastic reaction to the controversial reform that is shaking the nation.
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They will be on strike for at least 24 hours. Israeli doctors began the strike on July 25 after the ratification of the reasonableness law on Monday, a key part of the judicial reform promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The measure, the first approved in Parliament within the package of laws comprising the reform, restricts the power of the Supreme Court to overturn government decisions after determining whether they are reasonable or not and, according to its critics, will weaken the Israeli democratic system.
Israeli doctors began a 24-hour strike and black ads covered newspaper front pages in a furore over the hard-right government’s ratification of initial judicial changes that critics fear will endanger independence of the courts https://t.co/34ivNxn0m6
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 25, 2023
The Israel Medical Association announced the strike throughout the country, except in Jerusalem, where the escalation of clashes between civilians and the Police requires special medical attention.
“The suppression of the law of reasonableness is a real and tangible danger for the health system and medical teams and is not a theoretical concern. We intend to exhaust all the procedures and measures at our disposal to combat the evil of the decree!” said Zion Hagay, a doctor and president of the Association.
Meanwhile, several Israeli newspapers opened their editions with completely black front pages, an image financed by a consortium of high-tech companies. The only words in a corner at the bottom of the page: “a black day for Israeli democracy.”
This first law in the set of judicial reform laws went ahead on Monday, July 24, in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, despite seven months of popular resistance and protests, Netanyahu’s unfulfilled promises of conciliation and the position against reform by the United States, a staunch ally of the majority-Jewish nation.
“The most widespread democratic awakening”: Israelis threaten a general strike
Despite this victory for the Executive, the detractors of the reform assure that their fight is not over. Civil rights groups petitioned the Supreme Court to strike down the new bill, as protests once again rocked the streets of cities across the nation.
“I think this country will split into two countries or it will end completely,” protester Yossi Nissimov told the AP news agency.
Civil organizations threaten general strikes in various sectors and promise to continue with the mobilizations.
“This is the most widespread and significant democratic awakening in the country’s history. Clearly, it will not end,” said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute.
The crisis has driven a deep wedge into Israeli society. More than 10,000 reservists threatened not to return to service due to the approval of the law of reasonableness, which threatens to affect the ranks of the Israeli Army and its campaigns both in the West Bank and in the rest of the region.
In the midst of this panorama, a reservist was sentenced to 15 days in jail and suspended salary for not attending training calls, the military institution indicated. But the resistance continues inside and outside the Army.
The scenario of social discontent has also hit The economy, with the flight of foreign investors, has weakened the local currency – the shekel – and has prompted threats of a general strike by the public sector union Histadrut, the largest in the country.
“This is the beginning of a whole plan to change the basic values of society,” said Tom Segev, an Israeli historian of reform.
It remains to be seen if the social resistance will bring greater consequences for the Executive of Benjamin Netanyahu. Until this Tuesday, the Israeli premier continued to defend that his country has “a very strong economy.”
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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