Israeli PM Vows To ‘Mend the Rift’ After Proposed Judiciary Overhaul Sparks Nationwide Protests
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised in a nationally televised speech Thursday night to “mend the rift” in the nation caused by his proposed overhaul of the judiciary. Despite ongoing protests across the country, Netanyahu gave no indication that he would slow down his plans.
His opponents argue that his plans, which, among other measures, would give the ruling coalition near total control of the appointment process for selecting the country’s judges, would destroy the checks and balances in the system and so damage the judiciary’s independence that they would render Israel an authoritarian regime.
Netanyahu has not revealed how he intends to address the protests, but he stated in his TV address that he would ensure the basic rights of all Israeli citizens.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Netanyahu before the speech and voiced concerns that objections by Israeli reservists and other security forces were hurting Israel’s international image and power of deterrence. However, Gallant abruptly canceled a planned statement in which he was expected to call on Netanyahu to freeze the plan.
As the reform’s first step, Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition approved legislation early Thursday morning that would protect the Israeli leader from being deemed unfit to rule because of his trial and claims of a conflict of interest. Critics say the law is tailor-made for Netanyahu and encourages corruption. The law to protect Netanyahu passed in a 61-47 vote in the 120-seat parliament.
The protest movement has vowed to press ahead with the demonstrations, which have taken place weekly for the past three months.
