Protesters over judicial reform in Israel paralyzed traffic

Israeli demonstrators on July 11 blocked major highways leading to Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv in protest against judicial reform. To disperse the protesters, the police used water cannons against them, more than 60 citizens were detained, according to Israeli law enforcement agencies. The demonstrations began a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling right-wing parliamentary coalition approved in first reading one of the key elements of legal reform. 64 out of 120 deputies voted for the document, 56 voted against. For the amendment to come into force, two more readings are required, which are scheduled for the end of July.

The judicial reform project – one of Netanyahu’s campaign promises – was presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin in early January. This bill has drawn criticism from the opposition: from their point of view, the revision of the principles of the judiciary will break the fragile system of checks and balances and allow Netanyahu and his allies to concentrate all power in their hands. In addition, opponents of the reform remind that the current prime minister is being tried on charges of fraud and corruption, and the adoption of the law will allow him to avoid liability. Since then, anti-government protests have not stopped in the country, the number of which reached 0.5 million participants across the country out of 9 million people.

The project provides for the deprivation of the Supreme Court of the right to influence the decisions of the executive and legislative authorities. Today, the court has the power to block legislation, and can also veto government decisions and influence the appointment of senior officials. If the bill is passed, Parliament will be able to re-enact laws blocked by the Supreme Court by a majority of 61 votes. In addition, it is assumed that the decision to block the bill is not made by a simple majority of judges (there are 15 in total), but only with the consent of 80% of the judges. It is also planned to change the composition of the special committee that appoints judges. Today it consists of nine members: five lawyers and judges, two representatives each from the government and parliament. Legislators want to increase the number of members of this committee to 11 people, eight of whom would represent the interests of the Knesset.

According to The Times of Israel, the July 11 protests began after dozens of demonstrators set up a tent camp at a crossroads in the resort town of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, blocking traffic in the city. At the same time, the demonstrators tried to block the work of the Ben Gurion airport in the business capital of the country. The Band of Brothers protest organization, led by retired military men, held a rally of thousands in downtown Jerusalem.

In addition, according to the Associated Press, more than 300 reservists from the cybersecurity unit of the country’s armed forces signed a collective letter, where they announced their refusal to serve a government that “aims to destroy the state of Israel.” “Cyber ​​technology can be used for evil and should not be handed over to a criminal government that undermines the foundations of democracy,” the letter says. And Arnon Bar-David, head of the country’s largest trade union organization, the Histadrut, threatened to start a general strike unless the government withdraws the bill.

According to Bloomberg, the passage of the bill in the first reading and nationwide protests caused the shekel to fall by 0.9% against the dollar, and since the beginning of the year, the national currency has depreciated by 5.7%. According to the publication, investors and technology companies are threatening to leave the country due to fears that the law will lead to a violation of the rule of law. The bill caused a mixed reaction in the executive branch. Earlier, on March 9, Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, during a televised address to the nation, criticized the bill, saying that the country was on the brink of disaster. And on March 25, then Defense Minister Yoav Galant called for a halt to judicial reform, warning that divisions on the issue would seep into the military, undermining national security.

Members of the government coalition, in one form or another, are in favor of limiting the control functions of the judiciary in order to subsequently freely promote their other controversial bills, said Lyudmila Samarskaya, a researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at IMEMO RAS. “Now Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition is trying to seize the opportunity when the majority of Knesset members are in favor of reforms. Previously, attempts to promote this initiative ended in failure due to inter-coalition showdowns. Now the government is trying to speed up the adoption of the bill, otherwise they will most likely not have another opportunity like this,” the expert noted.

In the future, judicial reform is unlikely to destabilize the situation in Israel. But Samarskaya does not exclude the prospect of a government crisis in the state due to the presence of contradictions among members of the Cabinet of Ministers. The dissatisfaction of the society, the expert continues, is caused, on the one hand, by the comprehensiveness of the reform, on the other hand, it is moving forward without consensus with the opposition: “The most controversial point of the reform is that if the court considers the bill unconstitutional, then a simple majority during the vote in the Knesset will be required to overcome its veto. . And the court can’t do anything about it.” Thus, the expert believes, the ability of the judiciary to exercise control over the adopted laws will be neutralized and the system of checks and balances will be violated.