A defiant Israeli prime minister vowed last night to continue controversial judicial reform after a day of protests that turned violent and hours after his ruling coalition passed a law making it more difficult for him to be ousted. In prime time, Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on television to assure that he would find a “solution” in order to win a “greater consensus” in the face of the social fracture that caused his plans to give the government greater control over the appointments of the Court Supreme. He thus denied the rumors that had grown during the day that he would back down.
His speech capped a day that again brought hundreds of thousands of Israelis to the streets protesting against the plan, sparking clashes with right-wing Netanyahu supporters and police, who sprayed protesters with water cannons.
Giant jets of water poured over a crowd waving Israeli flags, LGBTQ flags and banners chanting “Democracy” and “Freedom” as mounted police tried to unblock the important routes taken on the approaches to the port of Ashdod or Tel Aviv.
This is the most important protest movement in the recent history of Israel, which emerged in January, after the government led by Netanyahu, the most right-wing and religious the country has ever had, announced a controversial judicial reform that suppresses the capacity of the Supreme to review and annul unconstitutional laws and gives the Executive full control in the appointment of judges.
This same Thursday, Parliament approved a law that shields Netanyahu from the possibility of being challenged or declared unfit to hold office, while he faces trial on various charges of corruption.
The president describes the demonstrators as “anarchists” and the protests are met with increasing police repression and violence by government supporters, thus deepening the polarization of the country.
Videos released by protesters showed several uniformed officers pulling a woman to push her into a patrol vehicle, while the crowd yelled “Shame!” They also denounced that a motorcyclist sprayed tear gas at them, and that a car hit a protester. More than 80 protesters have been arrested this Thursday, most of them in Tel Aviv, police reported.
A woman was arrested after allegedly hitting Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter with a flag, without injuring him.
Pressured by the protests, his own government officials and even questions from the international community, Netanyahu delayed a planned trip to London for a few hours to deliver a national message, in which he said he would “do whatever it takes” to resolve the situation. . Opponents of judicial reform “are not traitors” and supporters “are not fascists,” Netanyahu said, despite the deep polarization.
“My intention is to guarantee the civil rights, the fundamental rights of all Israeli citizens, Jews, non-Jews, religious, secular, men, women, members of the LGBTQ community,” he said, warning that he will not suspend the processing of the initiative .
For his part, the opposition leader, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, considered that this is a “lie” and that by not stopping the reform process in Parliament, Netanyahu is trying to turn the country into an “undemocratic” state.
