On Tuesday, thousands of protestors shut down Israel’s primary airport as well as highways in response to the hard-right government led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s push to move forward with a criminal justice legislation that has created the largest political divides the country has seen in decades.
A day following parliament passed a crucial part in the law, which tries to curtail the authority of the Supreme Court, hundreds of demonstrators blocked morning commutes in key intersections and on roads around the nation. The protesters waved flags and chanted anti-government slogans. Others lit flares and laid down in the roadways in an attempt to attract attention.
In Tel Aviv, the commercial center of Israel, police officers on horseback were stationed among the hundreds of protesters. At the entrance of Jerusalem, law enforcement authorities fired a water gun to disperse some of the demonstrators while they forcibly removed others from the area. According to the authorities, at least 66 persons were taken into custody.
At the Ben Gurion airport, which is located outside of Tel Aviv, there were approximately one thousand police officers stationed there, where thousands of demonstrators had turned the region in front of the primary entrance into an ocean of blue and white flags of Israeli. In spite of the enormous number of passengers, a spokeswoman for the airport stated that flight operations were not disrupted.
The United States of America has asked for the autonomy of the court to be respected and encouraged Netanyahu to make an effort to create consensus for the ideas. The United States has also stated that Israel ought to uphold the freedom to peacefully demonstrate.
The push by Netanyahu’s religious nationalism alliance to make changes to the justice system has resulted in protests on a scale never seen before, raised concerns about the state of democracy in Israel amid Israel’s Western partners, and hurt the economy.
Ariel Dubinsky, who participated in one of the demonstrations in Tel Aviv, stated that those in power are attempting to destroy our legal system by enacting and executing legislation that will undermine democratic principles.
The suggestions have also caused investors to feel uneasy, which has contributed to a decline of roughly 8% in the value of the shekel since January.
Late on Monday, the new bill prevailed in the first of three essential votes in order to be enacted into law, prompting legislators from the opposing party to cry “for shame.”
If it were to pass in its current form, it would restrict the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to overturn decisions that have been taken by the government, ministries, and elected officials by determining that they are unreasonable.
The government and those who support it argue that the reform is essential in order to rein in activist judges, many of whom are on the left, who, according to them, have intruded upon the realm of politics. They argue that judges already have other legal methods at their disposal to exert oversight and that the move will enhance good governance by reducing judicial interference.
Critics, who include the majority of the nation’s tech along with business establishment, believe that the oversight of the Supreme Court assists in avoiding corruption as well as abuses of power and that reducing it will remove an essential component of Israel’s checks and balances democratic system. Reservists from other branches of the armed forces, including fighter pilots as well as members of top Special Forces groups, have also participated in the demonstrations.
A few lawmakers of Netanyahu’s Likud group have stated that the law would be softened when it goes to a final vote, which they expect to do before the Israeli legislature recesses for the summertime on July 30.
However, the bill’s author, Simcha Rothman, said to Army Radio, “I remain convinced that any major modifications are to be expected.” Rothman is the leader of the Knesset the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, which is writing the law.
Netanyahu, whose work is on trial for graft accusations that he denies, had suspended the judicial campaign in order to engage in compromise negotiations with the opposition; nevertheless, the negotiations broke down in June. Netanyahu is currently facing trial for these charges.
Maayan Lubell, Steven Scheer, Dan Williams, and Matt Spetalnick contributed more information from Washington. Maayan Lubell along with James Mackenzie wrote the article. William Maclean, Louise Heavens, and Angus MacSwan were responsible for the editing.
