Israel’s Netanyahu rejects judicial criticism, advances to key vote

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A protester holds an Israeli flag during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the judicial overhaul of his nationalist coalition government, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 20, 2023. Photo by Corinna Kern/REUTERS

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Thursday to continue his controversial judicial reform, despite unprecedented mass protests in his country, growing defections by military reservists and calls from the U.S. president to suspend the plan.

Netanyahu’s message, delivered during prime time on national television, set the stage for an intensification of street protests in the coming days leading to a fateful vote expected on Monday. After Netanyahu’s speech, protesters blocked Tel Aviv’s main highway for several hours, lighting bonfires and clashing with police. Hundreds more continued a march of about 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu was sometimes conciliatory during his speech, saying he understood the differences of opinion that have bitterly divided the country and offering to seek a compromise with his political opponents.

But he was also provocative, saying his opponents were determined to overthrow him and go after the dozens of military reservists who said they would stop showing up for work if the plan went through. Some have already quit.

“Refusal to serve threatens the security of every citizen of Israel,” he said.

Parliament is expected to vote on Monday on a bill that would reduce the Supreme Court’s review powers by limiting its ability to overturn decisions it deems “unreasonable”. The reasonableness standard is intended as a safeguard against corruption and inappropriate appointments of unqualified persons.

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The bill is one of the key elements of the Netanyahu government’s judicial overhaul plan. Netanyahu and his allies — a collection of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties — say the plan is necessary to limit what they see as excessive powers for unelected judges.

Critics say the legislation will concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his far-right allies and undermine the country’s system of checks and balances. They also say Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, has a conflict of interest.

The proposal has bitterly divided the Israeli public and prompted calls from US President Joe Biden for Netanyahu to slow down and forge a broad national consensus before passing any legislation.

After Netanyahu’s speech, opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Netanyahu to defy his coalition allies and suspend the legislation.

“This extremist group has no mandate to transform Israel into a messianic, undemocratic state,” Lapid said. “The Netanyahu government is waging a war of attrition against the citizens of Israel.”

Perhaps the biggest threat to the plan is the growing number of calls from military reservists who say they will stop reporting for duty in key units. They include fighter pilots, commandos, and cyber warfare officers.

Israeli leaders and military commanders have expressed growing concern, saying refusals to serve could harm the country’s security. The reservists, whose service is voluntary, constitute the backbone of the Israeli army.

On Thursday, the former head of the Israeli internal security agency Shin Bet, Nadav Argaman, expressed his support for the reservists.

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“We have to stop this legislation by all means,” he told Army Radio, saying the reservists “are very worried and fear for the security of the State of Israel.”

Argaman was appointed head of the Shin Bet by Netanyahu in 2016 and stepped down in 2021.

Netanyahu said the refusals to serve undermine Israel’s democratic institutions, in which the military is subordinate to the government and not the other way around.

“If they succeed in dictating their threats, it’s the end of true democracy,” he said. “A responsible government and a responsible state cannot tolerate this.”

Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined mass protests against the overhaul since it was proposed in January, and business leaders have said a weaker justice system will drive away international investors.

In Tel Aviv, leaders of the movement staged a “night of resistance”, marching through the city streets, beating drums and sounding horns. Police used water cannons and mounted officers to clear protesters from the Tel Aviv highway, which remained blocked after midnight. Police reported at least six arrests.

The movement has also begun shifting its focus from Tel Aviv, where weekly protests draw tens of thousands of people, to Jerusalem, where parliament is due to vote next week.

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Hundreds of protesters lined up rows of small white tents and continued their march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, where they plan to camp outside parliament ahead of the vote.

Protesters flocked to the home of the chairman of the Histadrut, Israel’s national trade union. The Histadrut ordered a strike in March, leading Netanyahu to freeze the overhaul. Netanyahu relaunched the plan last month after compromise talks with opposition lawmakers broke down. But the union has not yet authorized another strike.

After Netanyahu’s statement, leaders of the movement promised further escalation. “We call on everyone who cares about Israel’s future as a democracy to take to the streets,” said protest spokesman Josh Drill.

The presidents of major Israeli universities said they would stage a strike on Sunday to protest the bill, according to Israeli media. Doctors staged a two-hour “warning strike” on Wednesday to protest the overhaul, which they said would wreak havoc on the healthcare system by giving politicians greater control over public health.

They promised tougher measures if the bill is passed.

The judicial overhaul plan was announced shortly after Netanyahu took office as prime minister following November’s legislative elections. It was Israel’s fifth election in less than four years, with all votes serving as a referendum on its leadership while facing legal action.

Critics say removing the reasonableness standard would allow the government to appoint unqualified cronies to important posts without oversight. They also say it could pave the way for Netanyahu to fire the current attorney general — seen by supporters as a bulwark against the overhaul plan — or appoint legal officers who could walk away easily from the corruption charges he faces in an ongoing trial.

Netanyahu now leads the most ultra-nationalist and religiously conservative government in the country in Israel’s 75-year history.

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