“Last night’s horror show in the Knesset served as a stark reminder of the critical moment in which we find ourselves. Faced with a dictatorial coalition, only the people can rescue Israel,” the opposition said in a statement, calling on dissatisfied citizens to “safeguard Israeli democracy.”
Waving flags and banners reading “together we will be victorious”, the protesters blocked major transit routes, including Highway 1, Highway 443 and the Ayalon Highway, all vital to connecting Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, as well as other nearby settlements. .
Faced with the blockades, the security forces began work to disperse the protesters, using pressurized water cannons and mass arrests. At least 66 people have been arrested during the day.
The head of the country’s largest Israeli union, Arnon Bar-David, has threatened to call a general strike across all sectors of the industry, a move that could cripple the nation’s economy.
Bar-David called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “end this chaos” to avoid further consequences, otherwise the union would have to intervene. “If the situation reaches an extreme, we will intervene and use our force,” said the ‘Histadrut’ union leader.
Similar calls caused the prime minister to freeze the reform on March 27, this in order to avoid a “civil war” after 15 consecutive weeks of civil mobilizations against his bill. However, the ultranationalist leader decided to resume his plans a few weeks ago.
Concerns for the future of Israeli democracy
There are already 28 continuous weeks of protests against Netanyahu’s reform, which seeks to reduce the jurisdiction of the Israeli Supreme Court to judge the decisions made by the government. This Monday, July 10, the pro-government majority achieved a positive result in the first of the three days required to review the law before it was approved.
If it manages to pass all the filters, Benjamin Netanyahu’s flagship bill will remove the highest body of the Israeli judiciary from the ability to reverse laws coming from Parliament as “unreasonable.”
The prime minister’s ambitions have been harshly criticized by the opposition block, since, in addition to arguing that the ability of the Supreme Court to have the last word in the approval of regulations, vital to prevent “corruption and abuse of power”, they point out that Netanyahu does not have the legitimacy to propose this change, himself being in an active lawsuit with the court.
Some members of the Knesset have tried to reassure the Israeli public about the true scope of the reform. Simcha Rothman, head of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, argues that if the law is finally passed, “there will be no significant changes” to the constitutional structure.
“I say it explicitly: I am not convinced that any significant change can be expected,” Rothman told local media.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans call for the reform to be approved as law before July 30, the date on which the Knesset suspends its activities for the summer.
