Netanyahu buckles in front of mass demonstrations

Puts his controversial judicial reform on hold: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (73)

By Desert Star Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (73) has put the controversial judicial reform on hold. The head of government announced this on Monday evening after a dramatic escalation of the protests. Netanyahu had been negotiating with the coalition partners of his right-wing government since the early morning - and finally bowed to pressure from the street.

“We must not have a civil war,” Netanyahu said in an address to the Israeli people. Israel is “in the midst of a crisis.” He announced that he would give “a real chance” to a “real dialogue” about the reform plans. The government will not vote on the current version of the judicial reform and will enter talks with the opposition.

Israel’s President Izchak Herzog (62) welcomes the move. In the evening, he said: “It is right to stop the legislation. Now is the time to start a sincere, serious, and responsible dialogue that will urgently calm things down and bring down the temperature.”

Demos brought Israel to a standstill.

For months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated against the Netanyahu government’s plan to weaken the Supreme Court. The legal dispute escalated on Sunday: Defense Minister Joaw Galant (64), who, like Netanyahu, belongs to the Likud party, warned of a division in society and a weakening of the army - and called on Netanyahu to stop the reform.

Netanyahu immediately threw his most crucial minister out of the government and triggered a new wave of protests. Israel’s unions called a general strike, bringing the country to a standstill on Monday.

Netanyahu’s government has gambled – at least for now – and must put the reform on hold.

Critics: “Feels like I’m losing this country.”

Since the reform plans were published, the largest protests since the state’s founding have occurred in Israel. The fear of many citizens: a government whose laws can no longer be stopped by an independent judiciary.

They speak of an attack on Israeli democracy and accuse the government of wanting to make the country more religious and nationalistic.

Supporters of Netanyahu’s judicial reforms criticize the Supreme Court for having too much influence and accuse the judges of left-leaning political activism like Aron Milman (37) from Tel Aviv, who protested FOR the reform in Jerusalem on Monday evening.

One of the many thousands of Netanyahu critics is Itay Mautner (49). He is demonstrating against judicial reform and fears for Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state. “I love this country; I have lived here and am patriotic. However, it feels like I’m losing the country I love and would fight for,” Mautner said. He jokingly describes the demonstrations as “group therapy.” Because: “You know that you are not alone.”

One thing is sure: Despite Netanyahu’s announcement that the judicial reform will be postponed, Israel is unlikely to settle down. The far-right government will try again to get its reform through parliament. Whether the government and opposition are willing to make far-reaching compromises to prevent the protests from escalating again is questionable. The Israeli cabinet currently includes far-right politicians who have promised their voters to change Jewish democracy fundamentally.