Political Firestorm Rages in Israel Amid Controversial Judicial Reforms, Netanyahu’s Health Crisis
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recovers from a heart surgery, Israel grapples with major protests over planned judicial reforms set to limit the power of the High Court
Israel’s political dramas continued on Monday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from hospital, a day after having a heart pacemaker implanted, and Israel’s parliament prepared to vote on the government’s controversial judicial overhaul legislation that has sparked massive protests around the country.
Police used water cannons against hundreds of protesters who were attempting to block access to the Knesset, while around Israel many companies and businesses stayed closed in protest against the planned law and thousands of military reservists threatened not to report for duty.
The controversy has divided Israel since the government announced its plans to reform the judicial system in January. Among the most contentious plans is the current bill to limit the existing power of the courts to review the “reasonableness” of government decisions.
A massive wave of protesters began marching to Jerusalem on Saturday night, in the midst of a heatwave, ahead of the expected final debates on the controversial law on Sunday. Many of the protesters began their march from Tel Aviv, 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Jerusalem, after Netanyahu addressed the nation and vowed to push forward with the legislation.
As the protesters were marching, Netanyahu was taken to hospital for an emergency procedure to implant a heart pacemaker, one week after being hospitalized for apparent dehydration. Minutes before Netanyahu entered surgery early Sunday morning, he released a short video in which he said the efforts would continue to reach a compromise on the issue that was tearing the country apart.
However, the chances for a compromise are slim. The bill passed its first reading in the Knesset on July 11 in a 64-56 vote. Sunday’s debates precede the second and third reading votes required for the bill to become law. The final vote is expected today or tomorrow and is expected to pass due to the governing coalition’s majority in the Knesset. The government has said it intends to pass the legislation before the Knesset breaks up for the summer on July 30.
On Sunday, Netanyahu’s office stated that he would be released from hospital in time for the critical vote. It also announced that trips he had planned to Cyprus and Turkey this week have been postponed indefinitely.
Meanwhile, around the country, military reservists announced that they would no longer report for duty and major unions threatened a general strike. Many high-tech companies, critical for the country’s economy, stayed closed on Monday, as did many shopping malls and other businesses.
In the Knesset, emotions ran high, with one parliamentarian breaking down in tears.
Our country is burning, just burning, you have ruined our country
“Our country is burning, just burning, you have ruined our country,” Knesset member Orit Farkash Hacohen told the coalition from the podium on Sunday.
“The prime minister needs to get his act together. There are moments in history when a leader needs to make concessions,” Eli Amir, a prominent Israeli author who has also held senior positions in public service, told The Media Line. “Conceding is not always a sign of weakness, and this time it will most certainly be a sign of strength.”
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The prime minister needs to get his act together. There are moments in history when a leader needs to make concessions.
Netanyahu and his coalition partners say the reforms are necessary to limit the judiciary, which they say has become too powerful and often intervenes in political issues that should be determined by the government.
Opponents say the court reviews are a necessary brake on the government and the reforms will give the ruling coalition too much power. Many protesters have denounced the reforms as moving Israel away from being democratic.
Although Netanyahu has promised to seek consensus on the other components of the reform, members of his rightwing coalition have stated otherwise, saying this is just the beginning.
The threats of the military reservists not to report for duty have attracted fire even from some of those opposed to the government’s plans. Many say the military should never enter political debates.
“There are a lot of ways a citizen can protest. It will never be legitimate for people to refuse to serve, or encourage people to do so, because they want to impose their political will on the government,” Shai Rosengarten, the national activist coordinator with the right-wing Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu, told The Media Line.
“This is a very dangerous development. The status quo has been broken,” Rosengarten said. He added that knowledge of the reservists’ refusal among Israel’s enemies would dent Israel’s deterrent abilities.
The military has always been treated by Israelis as being above politics. When Israelis say the current debate has changed the face of the country, this is what many feared would happen.
The IDF relies heavily on its reserve soldiers, especially in combat units. Reserve pilots train once a week, often exceeding the number of days they are obliged to do reserve duty and attending the extra days voluntarily. But in other units, the number of soldiers who report for reserve duty has declined steadily in recent years.
“The real tragedy is putting some of the army’s most experienced and knowledgeable people with a genuine willingness to volunteer into the dilemma of whether to defend Israel by reporting for duty or to use their power by not showing up for duty and in that way defend democracy,” Dr. Eran Shamir-Borer, director of the Center for National Security and Democracy at the Israel Democracy Institute, told The Media Line.
Yiftach Golov, a leading member of Brothers and Sisters in Arms, a protest group of Israeli reservists and veterans, told The Media Line: “It is with a whole heart that I face the criticism, much of it coming from people who did not serve in the military or did not serve in major roles. We are in the midst of a fascist, messianic coup, and therefore it is easy for me to position myself in this place.”
Some of the current government ministers did not serve in the military, and ultra-Orthodox support for the judicial reforms comes largely as part of an attempt to secure the continuance of the exemption from compulsory military service for Orthodox Jews, something the Supreme Court has ordered to cancel in the past. The issue of Orthodox lack of military service has been deeply divisive in Israeli society.
“The army was the one thing that most represented Israel,” Prof. Udi Lebel, of the School of Communication and the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, told The Media Line. “This government is hostile to this ethos. By not listening to the reservists, they feel this and are therefore refusing to report for their volunteer duty.”
Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi on Sunday issued a letter to soldiers expressing his concerns.
“If we do not become a strong and cohesive army, if the best do not serve in the IDF, we will no longer be able to exist as a country in the region,” he wrote.
According to Golov, more than 10,000 reservists have announced their unwillingness to report for duty, a large rise in just a few weeks. This has raised concerns of harm to Israel’s military preparedness and deterrence.
“Our move is not independent of other processes. The deterrence and the military power have been damaged by the government,” Golov said. He acknowledged that the current situation is a “lethal blow to the army.”
One of the concerns risen by the reservists is that the Israeli courts will no longer be viewed by others as independent, exposing them to indictments on war crimes in international courts. One of Israel’s main claims against such charges has been that it has an independent legal system that investigates such cases itself.
“There was always full confidence that military decisions had been subject to legal review with many checks and balances on the way,” said Shamir-Borer.
Those critical of the reservists claim that their threat is in itself undemocratic.
“The damage has already been done, but it will be worse if the government will surrender,” said Rosengarten. “We can deal with fewer reservists, but the supremacy of the Knesset over the military must be maintained at all costs.”
Hours before the vote, the coalition shot down an effort by Israel’s largest labor union to bring about a compromise on the law, further fueling the tensions.
“Someone needs to calm things down,” Amir said. “Open your eyes, people are demonstrating in the scorching heat. If we have brought people to do this, something needs to be done.”
