Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Tuesday for the first time advanced a plan to overhaul the country’s legal system, in defiance of a mass uproar among Israelis and US calls for restraint.
The vote only marked preliminary approval of the plan. But he has upped the ante in a political battle that has drawn tens of thousands of protesters to the streets, sparked criticism from influential sections of society and widened fissures in an already polarized country.
The 63-47 vote after midnight gave initial approval to a plan that would give Netanyahu’s coalition more power over who becomes judge. It is part of a larger package of changes that seeks to weaken the country’s Supreme Court and transfer more power to the ruling coalition.
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Netanyahu’s ultra-religious and ultra-nationalist allies say these changes are necessary to curb the powers of an unelected judiciary. Critics fear judges will be appointed based on their loyalty to the government or prime minister and say Netanyahu, who faces trial on corruption charges, has a conflict of interest in legislation.
The showdown has plunged Israel into one of its most bitter internal crises, with both sides insisting that the future of democracy is at stake in their Middle Eastern country. Palestinian Israelis, a minority that may have the most to lose from the overhaul, have largely remained on the sidelines, due to the discrimination they face at home and Israel’s 55-year-old occupation of their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank.
Lawmakers voted after an in vitro debate that dragged on past midnight. During the session, opposition MPs chanted “shame” and wrapped themselves in the Israeli flag – and some were ejected from the hall.
Thousands gathered in front of the Knesset, waving Israeli flags and holding placards reading “Save Democracy!” Earlier in the day, protesters launched a sit-down rally at the entrance to the homes of some coalition lawmakers and briefly disrupted traffic on Tel Aviv’s main highway.
Netanyahu accused the protesters of violence and said they were ignoring the will of the people who voted his coalition into power last November.
“The people exercised their right to vote in the elections and the people’s representatives will exercise their right to vote here in the Israeli Knesset. It’s called democracy,” Netanyahu said, while leaving the door open for dialogue over the expected changes.
Despite the protests, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is carrying out a judicial review. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A vote on some of the legislation is only the first of three readings required for parliamentary approval, a process expected to take months.
Nonetheless, the opposition, including tens of thousands of protesters outside the Knesset in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, saw Monday’s vote as the coalition’s determination to move forward.
“We are fighting for the future of our children, for the future of our country. We are not going to give up,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said.
Israel’s top president has urged the government to freeze the legislation and seek a compromise with the opposition, a stance supported by most polls.
Leaders in the booming tech sector have warned that the weakening of the judiciary could drive away investors.
The review prompted otherwise stoic former security chiefs to speak out and even warn of civil war. The plan has even drawn rare warnings from the United States, Israel’s main international ally.
US Ambassador Tom Nides said in a podcast over the weekend that Israel should “hold back” on legislation and seek a consensus on reform that protects Israel’s democratic institutions.
His comments drew angry reactions from Netanyahu’s allies, who told Nides to stay out of Israel’s internal affairs.
The debate raged on Monday from the Knesset floor to flag-waving rallies in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Simcha Rothman, a far-right lawmaker leading the legislative initiative, introduced the proposal to parliament. High up in the viewing gallery, a spectator bumped into the protective glass and was taken away by the guards.
A fellow Religious Zionist party politician posted a photo on Twitter with Rothman ahead of the vote, celebrating with whiskey and sushi.
Last week, some 100,000 people demonstrated outside the Knesset as a committee gave initial approval to the plan. On Monday, the crowds returned, waving Israeli flags, honking their horns and holding up “save democracy” signs.
“All the steps that will take place now in the Knesset will turn us into a pure dictatorship,” said Itan Gur Aryeh, a 74-year-old retiree. “All power will be with the government, with the head of government and we will all be without rights”.
Earlier in the day, protesters launched a rally at the entrance to the homes of some coalition lawmakers and briefly blocked traffic on Tel Aviv’s main highway. Hundreds waved Israeli flags in the seaside city and further up the coast in Haifa, holding placards reading “resistance is mandatory”.
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While Israel has long boasted of its democratic credentials, critics say that claim is tainted by the country’s occupation of the West Bank and its treatment of its Palestinian minority.
Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 20 percent of the population, have the right to vote but continue to face discrimination in areas such as the labor market and housing. In the West Bank, Jewish settlers can vote in Israeli elections and are generally protected by Israeli law, while Palestinians in the same territory are subject to military rule and cannot vote.
The parliamentary votes aim to give the governing coalition more power over who becomes a judge. Today, a selection committee is made up of politicians, judges and lawyers, a system that proponents say promotes consensus.
The new system would give coalition lawmakers control over nominations. Critics fear judges will be appointed based on their loyalty to the government or the prime minister.
A second amendment passed on Monday would prevent the Supreme Court from overturning what are known as “basic laws,” pieces of legislation that replace a constitution, which Israel does not have. Critics say lawmakers will be able to call any law a basic law, removing judicial scrutiny over controversial legislation.
Proposals are also planned that would give parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court rulings and control the appointment of government legal advisers. The advisers are currently professional civil servants and critics say the new system would politicize government ministries.
Critics also fear the overhaul will guarantee Netanyahu an escape from his legal woes. Netanyahu has been on trial for nearly three years on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. He denies the crime and claims he is the victim of a biased justice system in a witch hunt against him.
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Israel’s Attorney General has barred Netanyahu from any involvement in the review, saying his legal troubles create a conflict of interest. Instead, the justice minister, a close confidant of his, is leading the charge.
Netanyahu on Sunday called the restrictions on him “patently ridiculous”.
