Hundreds of thousands of Israelis throughout the country are protesting the first of a series of proposed radical changes to the country’s judicial system, which they fear will weaken checks on the executive branch — consolidating power under right-wing President Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies.
Over the weekend tens of thousands of protesters marched from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a distance of 70 kilometers; they’ve called for general strikes and set up a tent city outside Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, as part of months-long protests against the proposed changes. The changes would give the Knesset final say over judicial appointments and give it the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority.
The first of the new laws is expected to come up for a vote as early as Monday after a round of debate on Sunday. That policy will overturn the doctrine which gives Israel’s Supreme Court oversight of the government’s cabinet and ministerial selections, as well as the power to rule on the “reasonableness” of a government decision or policy. Should the measure pass, the courts — and Israeli society — will have little recourse to challenge government policy they understand to be illegal, wasteful, fraudulent, or undemocratic.
All of this happens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recovers from having a pacemaker installed — though his hospitalization hasn’t stopped him from pushing his legislation forward. President Isaac Herzog, who just wrapped up a trip to Washington, DC, has come out in support of a strong judiciary and has attempted to broker a compromise for the past several months as protests continued.
Many sectors of Israeli society have come out against the legislation, most prominently elite Israeli Defense Force (IDF) reserve pilots and members of the Air Force. Israel’s largest trade union has also threatened a strike, and the Israel Medical Association has also indicated that it plans to strike…
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