According to media reports, there were isolated cases of violent clashes with the police. Protest organizers estimate the number of participants across the country at more than half a million. It would be one of the biggest days of protest since regular demonstrations began in early January. In all, Israel has about ten million inhabitants.
In Jerusalem, demonstrators wanted to spend Sunday night in front of Parliament. Protest signs in Tel Aviv read, for example, “Netanyahu, the enemy of democracy” or “Save our homeland”. On Sunday morning, Israel’s religious right-wing government plans to present a central element of its plans to weaken the judiciary to lawmakers. However, final passage of the controversial law is not expected before Monday afternoon.
Portal/Ilan Rosenberg Tens of thousands of protesters march with flags in Jerusalem
For more than six months, the project divided large sections of Israeli society. Thousands regularly take to the streets. Recently, resistance within the military has also increased. Negotiations on a deal have so far been unsuccessful. According to media reports, efforts are expected to continue in the background. The law is part of a larger package that critics see as a threat to Israel’s democracy.
Critics warn of more corruption
In the future, the country’s highest court will no longer be able to assess a decision by the government or individual ministers as “inappropriate”. Critics worry that this encourages corruption and therefore arbitrary filling of key positions and dismissals. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, accuses the judiciary of interfering too much in political decisions.
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Fierce resistance in the army
Resistance in the army grows
Shortly before a crucial vote in parliament, pressure on the Israeli government from within the military ranks increased further. More than 10,000 reservists would no longer appear on duty if the government’s controversial judicial restructuring was not halted, its “Brothers in Arms” protest movement announced on Saturday night, according to media reports in Herzliya. According to reports, this could significantly affect the operational readiness of the military. The military initially declined to comment.
By Friday, more than 1,000 Air Force reservists had already threatened to refuse service. Defense Minister Xoav Galant then announced that he was trying to reach a “consensus”. According to media reports, he is trying to postpone a vote scheduled for Monday on a key element of his government’s controversial plans.
More than 100 of the country’s top former security chiefs voiced their support for would-be tax evaders in a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Saturday, urging him to halt the legislation. Netanyahu is “personally responsible for the serious damage inflicted on Israel’s armed forces and security,” the letter said.
Political Survival and Matters of Principle
Netanyahu has a strong self-interest in undermining the judiciary on a variety of charges, including corruption. Then there are his right-to-right coalition partners who have campaigned for years to weaken the judiciary and without whom Netanyahu cannot remain in power. Netanyahu destroyed the base of all moderate and center-left parties in previous coalitions. None of them are ready to form another coalition with Netanyahu.
In the background – not least because of demographic change (growing proportion of religious and Palestinians, note) – there are fundamental questions for the country: How secular or how religious should public life be? How many rights should minorities like Israeli Palestinians, who make up about 20% of the total population, have? And, from the conflict over Jewish settlements in the occupied territories: What should living with the Palestinians look like and a lasting solution to the conflict?
Arguments of the “Sarbanim”
The “Sarbanim” in the army (“refusal” – however, they only refuse exercises, not called in in an emergency, note.) In addition to their concern for democracy, they also raise very direct concerns: According to legal assessments, the weakening of the judiciary could mean that it is no longer internationally recognized as independent. This would pave the way for servicemen to be arrested abroad and tried for possible war crimes before the International Criminal Court. As a result, they could no longer safely travel abroad.
Several government ministers condemned the reservists’ threat and stressed that they would not accept it. Right-wing finance minister Besalel Smotrich wrote on Facebook: “A country that submits to the threats of generals becomes, in fact, a country ruled by a military junta.” Not a single active-duty general is participating in the protests, although several former generals are.
The judiciary will be severely weakened
Netanyahu sacked Galant in March after he publicly called for the plans to be stopped and warned that national security could be seriously undermined. His resignation was followed by violent protests and a general strike. The head of government then put the plans on hold and Galant’s dismissal was later reversed.