Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that he would suspend proposed changes to the country’s judicial system...
Netanyahu’s plans had thrown Israel into turmoil and civil unrest. Opponents say it would weaken the Supreme Court’s ability to rule against the legislative and executive branches and thus weaken Israeli democracy. Across Israel demonstrators took to the streets in huge numbers to protest. Workers at universities...in transportation...and in restaurants...went on strike and called for more before Netanyahu announcing he was temporarily freezing the bill. He told the nation: " When there is the possibility of preventing a civil war through dialogue I, as the Prime Minister take a time out for dialogue.” Ben Cohen reports.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets this weekend, protesting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s suggested judiciary reform. According to Netanyahu, Israel’s Supreme Court has unchecked power, but others contend the changes would give Netanyahu even more control in his third stint as Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister...
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, publicly opposed Netanyahu’s reform and was subsequently fired.
Barak Ziv-El, USC Hillel’s Israel Fellow, noted the country’s political uncertainty.
ZIV-EL:“Israel has gone through four elections, actually five elections in less than four years. So the political system in Israel is really, really not stable in the last few years.”
Today, announcing the delay of his proposed reforms, Netanyahu said: " When there is the possibility of preventing a civil war through dialogue... I, as the Prime Minister... take a time out for dialogue.... "
Netanyahu was re-elected as Prime Minister of Israel in 2022, and the new government that he leads operates on a right-wing and religious platform.
J.J. Goldberg has reported on Israel and the Middle East since the 1970s. He isn’t surprised that Israelis have come out in droves to oppose the proposed legislation.
GOLDBERG: “It’s simple patriotism. They want to preserve the Israel that they love. This is not fighting against Israel for them, it’s fighting against a government that is tearing Israel apart.”
At Hillel’s USC outpost, an iced coffee machine hums over the sound of hurried preparations. Tomorrow, Hillel will host a Shouk [Sh oo k] - or farmer’s market - on campus to distribute Israeli food and jewelry, and spread Israeli culture in advance of the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Freshman Carmel Schwartz’s thoughts, though, are elsewhere. Before Israel announced the delay, Schwartz said the country was almost tearing itself apart.
SCHWARTZ: “My family group chats have turned from my aunt, posting selfies of her running on the beach and my uncle sharing cute photos of his dog to warnings of where to and not to go out of fear of protests turning violent and terrorist attacks occurring. There was even discussion today about Jewish people attacking Jewish people, which is practically unheard of.”
And, Schwartz says, the problem with this issue from an American perspective,
SCHWARTZ: “It’s bringing even more bad press towards Israel. Americans who are already on edge of supporting Israel and believing in the importance of the state of Israel are now even further opposed, because one of the biggest things that ties America to Israel is democracy.”
Israel’s democracy is no doubt facing a steep challenge. But the mass protests, which have succeeded in at least delaying new legislation, have proven a dedication to preserving a democratic Israel. For Annenberg Media, I’m Ben Cohen.