Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies have accused protesters of “anarchists” after they gathered outside a Tel Aviv beauty salon where his wife was getting her hair done. The rally, ending yet another day of protests against the government’s plan to reform the judicial system, reflects Israel’s emotional division over the reform, which opponents see as an existential threat to the country’s democracy.
The incident took place on Wednesday night in an affluent Tel Aviv neighborhood, where Sara Netanyahu, a controversial figure in Israel for his fraud indictment and his conviction for “misusing public funds” in 2019, was located. The protesters they surrounded the establishment shouting “shame, shame”, but kept their distance without attempting to storm the room. Hundreds of police officers were dispatched to the scene and she was eventually escorted into a limousine.
Meanwhile, neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor his political associates showed signs of giving in to the pressure and pushed through with the law to reform the judicial system.
Yesterday’s protests are the latest show of discord, in a country already deeply divided by the largest protests of a decade, in opposition to legislation proposed by the Netanyahu government.
Protest organizers have planned more demonstrations later today, after the self-proclaimed “disruption day” turned violent when police cracked down on protesters at a rally in Tel Aviv. Today’s demonstrations in Jerusalem are expected to include speeches by former government ministers and senior security officials. Former leading economists, including two former Bank of Israel chiefs and a Nobel laureate, are also scheduled to speak at a conference in Tel Aviv on the economic consequences of the reform.
This bill would give politicians and parliament control over judicial appointments, the power to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision, and the ability to pass laws impervious to judicial review.
Several former military chiefs, academics, economists and business leaders oppose the reform because they believe the changes will erode the country’s system of checks and balances and erode democratic institutions. On his side, Netanyahu and his ultranationalist allies argue that changes are necessary to check the power of unelected judges.
The battle over judicial reform comes as Netanyahu is under fire for his trial on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust.
