Israel: 13th week of protests against Netanyahu’s judicial reform, now frozen

First modification: 04/01/2023 – 22:04

Carrying Israeli flags, people marched down the center of Israel’s commercial axis, chanting “democracy” and carrying banners condemning the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Smaller rallies were held in other cities.

Demonstrations broke out in January after the coalition announced its reform package, which the government says is needed to rebalance powers between lawmakers and the judiciary.

The proposed reforms would cut the authority of the Supreme Court and give politicians greater powers over the selection of judges, which opponents say could endanger Israeli democracy.

On Monday, Netanyahu announced a “pause” in the parliamentary process of necessary legislation, in the face of a paralyzing general strike sparked by his announcement that he was sacking Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for calling for precisely such a pause.

On Tuesday, representatives of most parties in Parliament had started talks at the residence of President Isaac Herzog to try to formulate legislation that would be acceptable to both sides of the political spectrum.

There was no immediate indication of the scale of the demonstrations on Saturday compared to previous weeks.

Many political commentators and opposition figures have expressed skepticism about the chances of Herzog’s mediation efforts, and the coalition has said it will complete the legislation in the next parliamentary session if talks fail.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has not presented Gallant with the statutory termination letter, so the defense minister has continued to perform his duties as usual.

*With AFP; adapted from its original in English