Overnight, anticipating yet another Day of Disruption in Israel, a group of artists drew a giant red line through the streets of Jerusalem toward the Supreme Court. It is the line they do not want to see crossed, after ten weeks of unprecedented protests against the judicial reform advocated by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. But the prime minister, on a visit to Berlin, where he also heard criticism, does not give up and rejects President Isaac Herzog’s compromise proposal, which warns of the risk of a “civil war” with the country “on the brink of an abyss”.
Speaking at the press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Netanyahu rejected the idea that his judicial reform would jeopardize the independence of the judiciary or democracy. Reforming the coalition, which includes far-right parties, means limiting the powers of the Supreme Court and increasing its own power in appointing judges. The Israeli response was the largest protest in the country, but the proposal was also criticized abroad.
Scholz recalled that the independence of the judiciary is crucial and said he is following the debate with “great concern”. He also called for compromise and broad consensus. The chancellor said Germany “hopes and wishes Israel to remain a liberal democracy,” pointing out that democracy “is not just the rule of the majority, but the security of those who will always be a minority and who should not live in fear. being of the minority”.
Netanyahu defended the proposal and insisted that Israel will remain a “liberal democracy”, claiming that the proposed changes are consistent with what exists in other democracies. “Israel is constantly slandered. I would be some kind of potentate abolishing democracy and all of that is ridiculous,” he said. “It’s absurd!”
Netanyahu had rejected Herzog’s proposal the day before, before traveling to Germany – the president’s role is primarily ceremonial, but former president Chaim Herzog’s son had been working for weeks on a way to soften the government’s ideas. His proposal was presented in a primetime televised address on Wednesday. For example, one of the ideas is that the government cannot appoint judges without negotiating with the opposition and with the judiciary itself.
For the prime minister, Herzog’s proposal “only maintains the existing situation and does not bring the necessary balance between the branches of government”, in addition to the fact that it was not approved by anyone in the coalition. He also claimed that he had sought dialogue with the opposition, without success.
In the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities, the day was full of protests, sometimes violent, in an escalation of the situation through the negative. At least 21 people were arrested.
Source: DN
