With a solemn call and an invitation to general strikethe president of Israel and the country’s large trade union center asked Benjamin Netanyahu’s government this Monday stop the judicial reform project, that Sunday evening generated new manifestations of refusal.
“The whole nation is deeply concerned. Our security, our economy and our society are under threat,” said President Isaac Herzog.
“In the name of the unity of the people of Israel (…) I urge you to stop the legislative process immediatelyhe added, addressing Netanyahu’s cabinet and his parliamentary allies.
General strike
The head of the Histadrut, Israel’s large trade union federation, ramped up the pressure and appealed an immediate general strike this monday.
“We are on a mission to stop this legislative process, and we will,” Arnon Bar-David said in a televised message.
The College of Physicians quickly announced a “total strike in the health system”which will impact public hospitals.
Unemployment also had an impact the flights at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Liza Dvir, a spokeswoman for the airport authority, told AFP.
The call to strike and that of Herzog came after Sunday evening demonstrations in Tel Aviv, after Netanyahu fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallantfor asking for a month’s break in the legislative process to approve the reform.
The project promoted by the Netanyahu government, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history, seeks to increase the power of politicians over judges and diminish the role of the Supreme Court.
His detractors believe that reform it threatens the separation of powers and the democratic character of the State of Israel, and the rejection of the project generated in the last three months one of the largest popular movements of protests in the country’s history.
In Sunday’s mobilization, protesters occupied a large avenue that runs through Tel Aviv and set up barricades and bonfires. The police responded by firing water cannons.
Protesters waved Israeli flags and chanted slogans such as Israel is not a dictatorship! AND No to a fascist government.
According to the Israeli press, Netanyahu could speak to the country on Monday.
“We witnessed some very difficult scenes last night,” said Herzog, launching a dramatic appeal to Netanyahu’s government: “All the people of Israel are watching you. All the Jewish people are watching you. The whole world is watching you.” . .”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog
Protesters also gathered in front of Parliament in Jerusalem on Monday.
“We ask the government to stop this crazy reform”said Keren Mimran, 57, who works in the high-tech sector.
“Israel has become a very dangerous place right now,” said Trevor Galor, owner of a tourism company.
The far-right government
Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies defend the reform, arguing that it is so the balance of forces must be balanced between elected officials and the Supreme Court, to which they consider politicized.
The legislative process continues and this Monday the parliamentary law commission voted in favor of one of the key elements of the reform: the bill for which the process of appointing judges is changed.
The United States, a great ally of Israel, has expressed its concern and stressed the “urgent need for a compromise”.
“Fundamental changes must be made in a democratic system basis as broad as possible of popular support,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
In a televised address Thursday night, Netanyahu vowed to “end the division,” but He reiterated his determination to push the reform forward.
The following day, the Prime Minister was called to order by the court, which deemed his public intervention regarding the judicial reform “illegal”, given that is involved in proceedings for corruption, fraud and breach of trust, allegations which he denies.
In May 2020, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled this an indicted prime minister he had no right to act in an area where he could run into a conflict of interest.
AFP extension
ap
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.