Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced his intention to delay approval of the controversial judicial reform until at least May, following unprecedented protests in Israel. “I’m taking a break to give real dialogue a chance,” he said, criticizing an “extremist minority that is ready to divide the country.” The decision came after negotiations with his far-right government partner, Itamar Ben-Gvir: in exchange for control of a new police force, the current Minister of National Security will not abandon the executive and accepts the postponement. But this should not be enough to calm the streets.
“We are facing a crisis that poses a real threat to the national unity of our people”, Netanyahu said, it was already after 8 p.m. in Israel (6 p.m. in Lisbon). Since the morning, Israelis have been waiting for the Prime Minister’s words, but the statements have been delayed several times as the Likud leader sought a solution after a night of protests in several cities across the country. Protesters took to the streets in response to Netanyahu’s decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who had publicly called for the suspension of reforms.
Faced with pressure from the street and after the largest union declared a general strike, the idea of suspending judicial reform gained momentum among Likud deputies and other ministers. But the far right threatened to back down and leave Netanyahu in the minority. In addition, he called his supporters onto the streets to defend him, with some calls for violence. Last night, thousands of people gathered at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, claiming that “traitors to the left” are “stealing the election” and demanding that reforms go ahead.
During the day, Netanyahu tried to negotiate a way out of the situation. “If there is an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I pause the dialogue,” said the prime minister, postponing next reform steps in the Knesset (parliament) until the next session, scheduled for April 30. In response to Netanyahu’s decision, the general strike was canceled – which had led, among other things, to the cancellation of all flights from Ben Gurion airport and the closure of Israel’s embassies, including the one in Lisbon.
“The reform will succeed,” Ben-Gvir wrote on Twitter, convinced it will only be a matter of time and congratulated himself on the goals achieved. “The National Guard will be established. The budget I have requested for the Ministry of National Security will be approved in full,” he added. The idea of this new police force, which would strengthen border police and include agents and volunteers, was championed by Ben-Gvir to face a possible war with Hamas’ Palestinian Islamists. To critics, it will be a kind of militia accountable only to the leader of the far right.
response from the opposition
Both the opposition and demonstrators have argued that two things are needed to open the door to dialogue: first, to end the reform approval process (and not simply delay procedures); and after Netanyahu reviews the proposed deal put forward by President Isaac Herzog about a week ago. The opposition considered this a good starting point for negotiations, but both the Prime Minister and his governing coalition firmly rejected it.
“Stopping the legislation is the right thing to do,” Herzog wrote in a statement after Netanyahu spoke. “It is time to start an honest, serious and responsible conversation that will quickly calm and de-escalate tensions,” he added. “In the name of our unity and the future of our children, we must speak here and now,” the Israeli president said.
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid recalled past “bad experiences” with Netanyahu’s promises, arguing that the opposition must ensure that the current proposal is not just a “trick” or “bluff” by the prime minister. “On the other hand, if the government enters into a real and honest dialogue, we can emerge from this crisis stronger and more united and we can transform it into a defining moment in our ability to live together,” he said, also in a statement. Another opposition leader, Benny Gantz, responded to Netanyahu’s decision by saying that “better late than never”, making himself available for dialogue.
The suspension was equally well received by the international community, which had also criticized the judicial reform. The White House defended that this is “an opportunity to have additional time and space to reach a compromise.”
Source: DN
