Israel has faced one of the greatest internal tensions in its history over the past three months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed ahead with a proposed judicial reform that would strip power from the Supreme Court and give more powers to the governmentcontrolled parliament. More than 600,000 people took to the streets and staged a general strike against the measure.
Overall, Netanyahu’s Proposal:
- puts the election of the judges of the Supreme Court in the hands of the Israeli parliament;
- proposes that the decisions of the judiciary can be superimposed on the decisions of the ultraconservative parliament.
“It is a project to constitute authoritarianism and dictatorship in Israel,” says Michel Gherman, professor of sociology at the UFRJ.
In an interview with Natuza Nery, he makes this assessment considering the combination of the political profile of the Israeli parliament and the precedence clause of the Supreme Court’s decisions, as well as the lack of a constitution giving parameters to those decisions.
“There is no type of jurisprudence that can guarantee the Supreme Court’s decision.”
1 in 1 police officers try to control a wave of “Resistance Day” protesters in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 9, 2023 — Photo: Ronen Zvulun/Portal Aviv, Israel on March 9, 2023 — Photo: Ronen Zvulun/Portal
Gherman also says the proposal will lead to the persecution of minorities. He also explains that Israel is going through an “unprecedented moment” but it is also the spearhead of a transnational farright and neofascist movement that includes Donald Trump (US), Viktor Orbán (Hungary) and Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil).
“Who will save Israel is civil society. The extreme right is losing across the board.”
VIDEO: Understand the Proposed Reform of the Judiciary in Israel
Understanding judicial reform in Israel