In Israel, despite the break in the legislative process, numerous people again demonstrated against the planned judicial reform on Saturday. In Tel Aviv, thousands of people paraded through the center with Israeli flags and chanted “democracy”. On posters they criticized the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There were also smaller demonstrations in other cities.
The demonstrations are now in their 13th week. They began in early January after the reform plans were presented. The plan aims to reduce the powers of the judiciary and the Supreme Court and strengthen the position of Parliament and the Prime Minister. With the reform, MPs could overrule any decisions made by the chief justices.
Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, says the reform is necessary to restore balance in the separation of powers. Critics, on the other hand, fear that the separation of powers will be abolished and that democracy will be undermined.
After weeks of mass demonstrations and nationwide strikes in protest against the judicial reform, Netanyahu announced on Monday evening in a dramatic about-face that he would pause the legislative process in order to seek an amicable solution in dialogue with the opponents.
Representatives of most parties represented in Parliament took part in talks at the residence of President Isaac Herzog, who is trying to find a mutually acceptable solution. However, many political commentators and opposition politicians expressed skepticism about the chances of success of the mediation efforts. The coalition has said it will continue with the legislative process at the next parliamentary session if talks fail.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Joav Gallant continued to carry out his duties as Netanyahu failed to provide him with the legally required letter of dismissal. Gallant spoke out in favor of a break in the legislative process last weekend. The announcement by the head of government that he would fire the minister because of this had further fueled the mass protests.
