(Tel Aviv) Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Saturday evening called for a month-long pause in the government’s judicial reform process, as tens of thousands of Israelis continue to protest in Tel Aviv against this controversial project.
Demonstrations have followed each week since the presentation in January by the government of Binyamin Netanyahu, one of the most right-wing in the history of Israel, of a reform project which divides the country.
Arousing concern in the country, but also abroad, the reform aims to increase the power of elected officials over that of magistrates. According to its detractors, it jeopardizes the democratic character of the State of Israel.
In a speech on Saturday evening, Mr. Galant, although from the same party as Mr. Netanyahu, the Likud, said he feared that continued divisions among the population on this issue would create a “real threat to the security of Israel. “.
“We have to stop the legislative process” for a month, he said, before a crucial week which should be marked by other legislative provisions and new mass demonstrations.
“I am attached to the values of Likud […]but major changes at the national level must be made through consultation and dialogue,” he added.
“Courageous” statement
His remarks were welcomed by the leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, who welcomed a “courageous step […] for Israel’s security.
Two Likud lawmakers tweeted their support for Galant, raising questions about whether the government could count on a majority if it takes a vote.
The Defense Minister called at the same time for an end to the demonstrations, at a time when some 200,000 demonstrators had gathered in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media estimates.
“We are here today to speak out and join our voices with the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Israelis who support the values on which this country was founded,” such as “democracy” and “tolerance,” he said. Daniel Nisman, 36, who works in the high-tech sector, told AFP.
“The laws that are currently being adopted are laws that aim to make the government the only master on board and to destroy the separation of powers,” said Daphne Oren-Magidor, 41, historian.
In Jerusalem, thousands of protesters marched past the residence of President Isaac Herzog.
For Harriet Scher, 80, the reforms “will mainly affect people on the margins: lesbians, homosexuals and the Arab population. It will not be good for the country if they (the politicians) have total control over the Supreme Court,” she added.
Israel’s main allies, including Washington, have questioned plans to give more power to politicians and reduce the role of the Supreme Court.
US President Joe Biden has expressed “concerns” about these judicial reforms, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.
On Friday in London, where he received Mr. Netanyahu, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed “the importance of respecting the democratic values on which the relationship (between the two countries) is based, including in the judicial reform project in Israel “, according to a spokesperson in Downing Street.
“Ending the division”
Mr. Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies believe this reform project is necessary to restore a balanced balance of power between elected officials and the Supreme Court, which they consider politicized.
Israeli MPs are expected to vote next week on one of the central elements of the reform, at the heart of the concerns of its detractors, foreseeing the change in the process for appointing judges.
Mr. Netanyahu, who had hitherto remained in the background on this issue, pledged Thursday evening in a speech to “end the division among the people”, while underlining his determination to advance the reform.
The next day, he was called to order by the courts, which deemed his public intervention “illegal”, given his ongoing trials for corruption.
The text of the bill was amended in committee to soften its content with a view to achieving a broader vote, but without the support of the opposition, which continues to demand “a pause” in the legislative work on the reform before any negotiation with the majority.