JERUSALEM – MARCH 27: Israelis, carrying Israeli flags and anti-government placards, gather outside the Knesset to protest against the Israeli government’s plan to introduce judicial reforms.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government survived a no-confidence vote in the Knesset, the country’s parliament, amid possibly the largest wave of demonstrations in Israeli history.
Mass protests have rocked Israel, and the country’s largest labor union announced a major strike on Monday in defiance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s months-long attempt to push through much-maligned reforms. in the judiciary that opponents say will drag the country toward an autocracy.
“Stop this judicial process before it’s too late,” said Arnon Bar-David, head of Israel’s Histadrut union, in a televised speech, speaking directly to Netanyahu. The Histadrut – which with 800,000 members represents the majority of trade unionists in Israel – declared a “historic” general strike to “stop this judicial revolution, this madness,” said Bar- David.
Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday said the government must continue with reforms.
“The reform of the justice system must not be stopped and we must not surrender to anarchy,” he said on Twitteraccording to a Google translation.
Attack of paralysis
Flights from Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended, while airport workers went on strike, and workers at the port of Haifa – Israel’s largest – also stopped working. McDonald’s Israel says it is closing branches as part of strike action.
Protests have taken place across Israel over the past four months, fueled by anger over controversial judicial reforms pushed by Netanyahu’s government, the far-right in Israel’s history. The planned overhaul would greatly weaken the country’s judiciary and make it harder to remove Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, from power.
The proposed reforms would give executive control over the appointment of Supreme Court judges, as well as give the government the right to override court decisions through a parliamentary majority.
Monday’s demonstrations took on a new impetus and were reported to be the largest yet, prompted by Netanyahu’s firing of his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for speaking out against the planned measures. Local news outlets reported that 600,000 people came out to protest across the country.
“The 600,000 that showed up is an amazing number. This means that approximately 6.5% of the Israeli population protested tonight, many literally woke up from their beds when they heard that Bibi shot Gallant,” Monica Marks, a professor of Middle East politics at NYU Abu Dhabi, wrote on Twitter. “When was the last time 6+% of any country protested? Real question.”
Netanyahu branded the protests an attempt to “create anarchy” and trigger another election. A deeply divided Israel has held five snap elections since April 2019.
“We’ve never been closer to falling apart,” former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told lawmakers on Monday.
“What has happened here in the last 24 hours is madness, it is a loss of control and a loss of direction… This is proof that this government has lost its brakes,” he said, calling on Netanyahu to return his firing to his defense minister.
“It’s a danger to the state of Israel, it’s a danger to Israel’s security. Our home is in danger,” Lapid added.
On Monday, President Isaac Herzog – whose position is largely ceremonial and apolitical – taken on Twitter to call on the administration to stop its judicial review.
“For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately,” he said, according to a Google translation.
“I am asking the leaders of all factions in the Knesset, coalition and opposition alike, to put the citizens of the country above all else, and act responsibly and courageously without further delay. Come now! This is not a political moment, this is a moment for leadership and responsibility.”
Last Sunday, Netanyahu’s office announced the dismissal by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who opposed the motion, intensifying protests.
“We must all stand strong against the denials,” Netanyahu said on Twitter at the time of the announcement, without direct reference to Gallant.
