Israel PM suspends judiciary reform after protests, military opposition
Protesters outside the Parliament of Israel in Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the postponement of a decision on controversial plans to reform the country's judiciary, a move that has been the subject of intense protests.
On Monday night (27/3), local time, he said he would suspend the legislation to avoid a "rupture between our people".
However, it is unclear whether this is just a way for the government to buy time.
The announcement comes after renewed spontaneous protests after the prime minister sacked his defense minister, who had spoken out against the plans.
The reasons for the revolt
Many of the forces' members and reservists who have spoken out publicly claim that the changes could weaken the state and therefore pose a threat to Israel's security.
This becomes an even greater problem given the unstable situation in the Middle East and the constant tensions between Israel, Palestinians and extremist groups in the region.
Some members of the military still believe that the country needs a solid democracy and an independent judiciary to defend its actions and conduct in this environment before the international community. And, according to them, the project presented by Netanyahu goes against democratic values.
In early March, pilots from an elite Israeli air force squadron decided not to participate in training scheduled to protest judicial reforms, but were persuaded by their commanders to continue.
At the same time, former Air Force commanders published an open letter in which they asked the Prime Minister to take measures to resolve the crisis.
Protests erupted in Israel against the proposal for judicial reform presented by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu
"We are afraid of the consequences of these processes and the serious and tangible danger they pose to the national security of the State of Israel," read the text, signed by more than a hundred reservists.
About 650 other special forces officers and reserve cyber units said in a separate letter that “we will not serve a dictatorship. The contract was broken. We are ready to give our life and soul and the government must give responsibility and sanity”.
After completing three years of compulsory service, many Israelis remain in the reserve until age 40, when service becomes voluntary. Reservists are considered especially important to local forces when security crises arise and regularly serve in complex overseas operations.
'Message of weakness'
Several senior retired security officials, including former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo and former Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) chief Nadav Argaman, have spoken out strongly against the reforms.
Pardo stated in an interview with Channel 12 that Israel "does not need a nuclear bomb to be destroyed". "Our State has decided to experiment with a method of self-destruction."
"Israel has reached a very dangerous situation regarding internal segregation due to the right-wing plan to weaken the judicial system and turn the country into a dictatorship."
According to the military, the current internal dispute still sends "a message of weakness to the world".
"I'm 70 years old. I never imagined we'd get to this point. This is the greatest existential danger since independence."
Nadav Argaman described the renovation as “a car going into the abyss”.
In an interview with the same television channel, the former head of the Shin Bet said that Israel is "turned inside out". “The anarchist has become the ruler.”
Israeli soldiers on a mission near the Lebanese border
The reform
Analysts point out that the package of legislation proposed by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu could seriously compromise the separation of powers and, ultimately, would bury Israel's democracy.
The reform can be summed up in four points:
- Prevent the country's Supreme Court from reviewing legislation passed by Parliament
- Allow Parliament to reject Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority, that is, with 61 votes out of a total of 120 deputies.
- Employ changes to the committee responsible for appointing all judges in the country, including those on the Supreme Court, so that the government has greater influence
- Exemption from the obligation of Ministers of State to comply with determinations of their legal advisors, guided by the Attorney General
Protests and strike
Since the beginning of the year, huge protests have been organized every week against the plans announced by the Netanyahu government.
The scale of the demonstrations has grown in recent weeks, with hundreds of thousands of people filling the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities across the country. Protesters are calling for an end to reforms and the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In recent hours, security forces have used water cannons to try to disperse the crowd that has spread through the streets of Tel Aviv.
Also this Monday (27/3), workers from the most diverse fields paralyzed their activities in protest against the plan.
The largest union in the country, which brings together around 800,000 workers in the areas of health, transport and banking, among others, announced the strike of its members. Tel Aviv airport, the main one in the country, was affected and the outflow of planes was blocked.
Netanyahu had scheduled an official televised address for this Monday, but canceled it in light of the latest events.
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