People were holding up traffic across the country. In Tel Aviv, thousands marched for hours on a central highway at night. According to media reports, at least 34 protesters were arrested across the country on Monday, some violently. Several people were also injured, among other things, by the use of water cannons. The protest movement had previously announced that it would continue its protest “until the end”.
On Monday, 64 of 120 lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that limits the Supreme Court’s ability to act. The opposition boycotted the vote. The law is part of a larger package. Critics see this as a threat to Israel’s democracy and even warn against introducing a dictatorship.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the law allows the elected leadership to govern in the interests of the majority of citizens. Proponents of the reform argue that judges, unlike deputies or ministers, are not directly elected by the people. They are now more independent of judges and can more easily defend the interests of their constituents.
With the new law, the Federal Supreme Court will no longer be able to judge a decision by the government or by individual ministers as “inadequate”. Numerous experts fear that this could encourage corruption and therefore also the arbitrary filling of key positions or dismissals.
Representatives of the opposition, the Bar Association and several non-governmental organizations announced on Monday that they would appeal the law to the Supreme Court. According to experts, a state crisis could occur if the court decides to intervene.
According to media reports, Israel’s medical association has announced a protest strike for Tuesday. Hospitals, therefore, operate only at minimum capacity and only serve emergencies.
The US criticized the decision of the Israeli parliament. The course of the Netanyahu government has become a stress test for Israeli-American relations in recent months. The US is Israel’s closest ally and provides the country with billions of dollars in defense assistance every year.
Another key element of the reform – a change in the composition of judges – should, according to the coalition, be on the agenda for the next session in the autumn.