The hospital assured that the prime minister’s health was “good” and the prime minister himself reiterated that he was “very well”. He promised to be present for Monday’s vote on the much-controversial judicial reform bill.
On Sunday, July 23, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker. This operation comes on the eve of a parliamentary vote on a controversial judicial reform bill that has sparked violent protests for several months.
Sheba Hospital said the prime minister’s condition was “good”. A spokesman for the facility told AFP that he is still in the hospital. “Tomorrow morning [lundi]”I will join my friends in Parliament,” he said in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday. “As you can see, I’m doing very well,” said Benjamin Netanyahu, who was seated and wearing a jacket and white shirt with the collar unbuttoned, according to video released by his office. “We continue our efforts to complete the reform (…) and efforts to do so in agreement (with the opposition),” he continued.
His government’s proposed judicial reform, in which the far right holds key positions, has divided the nation and sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel’s history since its introduction in January. Opponents see this project as a threat to Israeli democracy.
The risk of an anti-liberal tendency
“We want to continue to live in a Jewish and democratic state,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid at the beginning of the plenary debate. “We will not give up on our children’s future,” he added, calling for “the legislation” on this reform to be stopped. The final vote will be on the “reasonability clause” in government decisions, which allows judges to overrule government decisions.
The protest has intensified in the last few days ahead of the Knesset debate, which began on Sunday. Tens of thousands of Israeli protesters marched in Tel Aviv and near the Parliament in Jerusalem on Saturday to show their opposition to this controversial clause in particular. On Sunday, tens of thousands of people again took to the streets of Jerusalem to protest against the reform project, while protesters rallied in Tel Aviv in support of the government.
According to the government, one of the aims of the reform is to rebalance power relations by reducing the prerogatives of the Supreme Court, which the executive sees as politicized, in favor of parliament. But its critics believe this risks paving the way for anti-liberal or authoritarian tendencies.