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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday fired his defense minister after the high-ranking official called for a pause on a controversial judicial reform proposal that has fueled months of intense protests in the country and abroad. In response, some 50,000 protesters took to the streets, starting bonfires on a Tel Aviv highway and knocking down a police barricade outside Netanyahu’s home.
Demonstrations have swept across Israel for months over an effort by Netanyahu’s right-wing government to overhaul the country’s judicial system. But Netanyahu’s sudden ousting of the high-level minister who opposed the changes prompted the Biden administration to issue an unusual statement of concern.
“As the president recently discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu, democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. “Democratic societies are strengthened by checks and balances, and fundamental changes to a democratic system should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support. We continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible.”
The escalating tensions came after the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said on Saturday night that Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul posed a security threat to Israel. Military reservists have refused to sign up for duty and many more have threatened to do the same. Israel’s consul general in New York resigned in protest.
In addition to the nighttime protests in Israel, trade unions were calling for a general strike and universities were cancelling classes. Some 500,000 protestors took to the streets.
On Monday, Netanyahu’s far-right government plans to advance some of the most controversial elements of its proposal.
The proposal could have wide-ranging implications for minority groups in the country, including Palestinians living in the West Bank and members of the LGBTQ community.
The blood-red ”Handmaid’s Tale” garb that for years showed up at left-leaning protests in the U.S. has become a fixture among protesters of the changes.
Here’s what we know.
Israel’s Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, in January unveiled a plan for far-reaching judicial reforms that could significantly weaken Israel’s Supreme Court’s powers.
Israeli law allows for the nation’s Supreme Court to strike down measures passed in its parliament if they go against what are known as the country’s “Basic Laws” – the closest thing Israel has to a governing Constitution.
The legislative blitz would overhaul the country’s judicial system by allowing the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to override Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority and giving politicians a greater role in the appointment of Supreme Court judges.
