Israelis Protest, Call General Strike Amid Judicial Reform Turmoil
Israelis took to the streets once again on Monday to protest against the government’s controversial, far-reaching judicial reform plan, which would give the coalition near-complete control over choosing the country’s judges and allow it to override High Court rulings.
The protests come after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday for speaking out against the planned changes.
Demonstrators blocked the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv and roads in Haifa, prompting the police to disperse them and arrest two protestors. The protestors also made their way to Jerusalem to protest at the Knesset.
Netanyahu met with coalition party leaders on Monday morning to decide whether to push forward with a controversial bill that would change the makeup of the judicial appointments committee. The bill passed in the Knesset Constitution Committee on Monday morning and is now ready to be brought to the Knesset plenum for its second and third readings.
The prime minister was expected to announce a temporary pause in the legislative process in response to the protests but delayed a scheduled speech on the matter at least three times over the course of the day. Several Likud leaders, such as Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, and Modi’in Mayor Haim Bibas, who heads the Federation of Local Authorities, have pledged their support for a decision by Netanyahu to freeze the legislation, but no such decision has been announced. President Isaac Herzog also called on the coalition to stop the legislation.
However, Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, who chairs the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, called for the legislation to move forward, and for supporters of the judicial reform to launch counterprotests. And Beitar Jerusalem fan club La Familia, which has a reputation for violence and racism, announced a counterprotest in support of the government and the judicial reform, raising fears of clashes between the two factions.
National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to quit the government if the judicial reform legislation is frozen, according to reports by the KAN public broadcaster and Channel 12 News.
Meanwhile, the head of Israel’s Histadrut labor federation, Arnon Bar-David, announced a “historic” labor strike aimed at halting the judicial overhaul. Workers at Ben-Gurion International Airport stopped all flights out of the country, and other organizations pledged their support for the strike, including the Israel Medical Association.
