General strike in Israel against Netanyahu's first "judicial reforms"

A part of the people of Israel has said enough.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
14 February 2023 Tuesday 03:24
3 Reads
General strike in Israel against Netanyahu's first "judicial reforms"

A part of the people of Israel has said enough. Some 70,000 demonstrators surrounded the Knesset in Jerusalem yesterday, where the first measures of the "judicial reform" promoted by Beniamin Netanyahu, considered by his detractors as an insurmountable authoritarian drift, were being debated. Faced with the fear unleashed by the existential risks facing Israeli democracy, thousands of citizens also demonstrated in cities and highways throughout the territory. “This madness must be stopped”, some proclaimed, while others believe that the Jewish state will become a “banana republic”.

In a heated debate in the commission on parliamentary legislation, a modification in the regulations for selecting judges was approved yesterday by majority. In addition, it will be vetoed that the Supreme Court can intervene in the modification of basic laws approved in parliament, considered an "informal constitution". The Likud, as well as its far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners, campaigned to prevent the country's highest legal body from intervening in sensitive issues, such as the expansion of Jewish colonies in the West Bank or the fragile balance between religion and state.

At the entrance to the Knesset, a column of protesters tried to break the police cordon to get closer to the parliamentary headquarters. Veteran reservist soldiers, employees of the hi-tech industry, doctors, professors, students, academics or judges joined the call for a general strike, which had partial follow-up and permits granted by many companies. In the accesses of Tel Aviv, the marches blocked the main access arteries to the city during part of the morning. The train stations became overcrowded, and the railway company added several convoys to facilitate the arrival of Protestants in Jerusalem.

The night before, the nation's president, Isaac Herzog, called for national unity, given the "social collapse" that some believe could lead to civil strife. Herzog called for dialogue, but the distance between ideological factions seems insurmountable.

The concentrates promised to adopt all measures -peaceful- to stop the plans of the "Bibi" executive. Opponents of the government consider that the prime minister intends to weaken the judiciary to protect himself in power, waiting to know the verdict on the three cases of corruption that he faces. Netanyahu would also seek to reinstate Aryeh Deri, a minister recently disqualified by the Supreme Court for his corrupt record, which included a prison sentence.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called out to thousands of people waving national flags that "we will not remain silent while they destroy what is precious and sacred to us." And he predicted: "we will continue fighting in the streets until victory." Among the promoters of the protests, there are those who call for raising the bar for civil resistance, given that the previous massive concentrations failed to modify "Bibi's" plans. The day before, the government approved the legalization of nine illegal colonies – including under Israeli law – in response to the recent Palestinian attacks in Jerusalem, in which ten civilians were killed.