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The president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, expressed his opinions after the demonstrations staged on Saturday by Israeli citizens in rejection of the reforms promoted by the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Although the functions of the head of state are limited, he assured that he was promoting dialogue between the parties.
Tension in the power of Israel. “We are facing a profound disagreement that is destroying our nation,” said the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, referring to the reform plan sought by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This conflict worries me deeply,” the president continued. The Israeli head of state lacks the powers to get the nation out of this conflict, so his role has focused more on facilitating a dialogue between the parties.
Isaac Herzog made his role in the crisis clear. “I am now focused on two critical roles that I believe I have as president at this time: avoiding a historic constitutional crisis and stopping the ongoing rift within our nation,” he said.
Benjamin Netanyahu, newly appointed head of government, tries to control the Supreme Court through judicial reforms criticized by the opposition and civil society. The premier, who is serving his sixth term as head of the Executive, and the members of the far-right coalition that make up the country’s leadership, point to the court for elitism and overreach.
The proposal on the table would limit the verdicts of the high court against the measures that the new administration may take or those disclosed by the Knesset (Parliament). Another decisive point is that it would give more influence to politicians to appoint judges as members of the Court.
“Nobody thought of talking about an end to democracy”: Netanyahu
Despite the president’s statements, Benjamin Netanyahu did not echo her in the context of his weekly Cabinet meeting. At the meeting, the premier defended his proposals and assured that “nobody thought of talking about an end to democracy.”
Despite the claims of thousands of its citizens who took to the streets of Israel this Saturday to demonstrate against the measure, Netanyahu stressed that he would continue with the reform plan.
“We will complete reform legislation that will fix what needs to be fixed. It will fully protect individual rights and restore people’s confidence in the justice system, ”he assured. The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, criticized these statements and questioned whether this project is a general demand of the population.
However, he was willing to accept a reform that allows change only with a parliamentary supermajority. The key is that the head of government wants to grant parliament the ability to annul Supreme Court rulings with a majority of 61 votes, the coalition has 64 seats. While Lapid proposed increasing the number of votes from 61 to 70, to include some opposition legislators.
Little trust in political institutions
The Israel Institute for Democracy published the report corresponding to the year 2022, in the context of the political crisis that the nation is going through.
The study showed that less than 10% of citizens trust political parties, while 58% of those interviewed were in favor of the Supreme Court retaining the “power to annul legislation approved by parliament if it determines that they contradict” democratic principles.
According to the report, only 25% of the population believes that “the general situation in Israel is good or very good.” The percentage decreased considerably, compared to the 53% registered in 2018. The future of the nation is also unclear to 51% of those surveyed.
Confidence towards the leadership of the country, regarding the Government, Parliament, the Presidency, the Supreme Court and the political parties fell by 33%, while the most valued institution was the Army, with 85% confidence. That does not mean that Israelis feel completely safe, since only 38% have “the feeling that the state can guarantee their security.”
With EFE and Reuters
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