Despite strong opposition, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, approved part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform package.
An important public sector trade union was nervous about the progress of the controversial legal package in Israel. The chairman of the trade union said that he is discussing with the rest of the union about the possibility of declaring a general strike.
The president of the union Arnon Bar-David previously tried to pass a compromise proposal between the government and the opposition, but failed.
Israel’s parliament voted (64-0) to remove the so-called reasonableness clause in a controversial legal reform of the justice system. With the help of the clause, the Supreme Court has been able to overturn the government’s decisions. Passing the vote to remove the clause was the first key step in passing the legal reform into law.
The opposition called the situation shameful.
– Parliament has taken the first step in a historic process, said the Minister of Justice Yariv Levin.
The most central problem of the legal reforms has been considered to be that they enable even greater power for politicians to influence the selection of Supreme Court judges.
Prime minister Benjamin Netajahu and his allies, on the other hand, think that the power of the courts needs to be cut.
Biden: No sense
The opposition to the law reform has largely shielded Netanyahu, who is considered to be abusing his power for his own benefit and for political reasons, since he himself is accused of corruption.
– We are heading towards total destruction, said the opposition leader Yair Lapid.
No one can predict the damage that the decision will cause to society as a whole, said the protest movement that orchestrated the demonstrations.
Those opposing the decision also include a large group of army reservists. They interpret that the country is sliding towards a dictatorship. Thousands of reservists have refused to serve the government.
Legal reforms have not found support even from Israel’s ally, the United States.
– In this situation, it makes no sense to push the legal project forward. The focus should be on uniting the people and finding a consensus, said the president Joe Biden.
Sources: Reuters, AP