It was under the aegis of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, that the negotiations between the political parties around the judicial reform began, Tuesday, March 28 in the evening. But for Palestinian and Israeli anti-occupation organizations, the democratic nature of the Israeli regime also depends on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
After weeks of popular mobilization and the ousting of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday March 28 the suspension of his controversial project.
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For the opponents of this judicial reform, it is the separation of powers and therefore the future of Israeli democracy that is at stake. But for the Palestinian and Israeli anti-occupation organizations, the democratic nature of the Israeli regime does not depend of this reform project. It also requires a solution to israelo-Palestinian conflict.
A far-right finance minister
They represent three Palestinian rights organizations, one Israeli and two Palestinian. They came to France to discuss, with political leaders, the evolution of the situation on the ground. The Yesh Din organization wants to warn in particular about the powers attributed to the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrichone of the leaders of the extreme right, regarding the disputed territories.
” Virtually all powers regarding civilian life in the West Bank have been handed over to a civilian Israeli minister who will act solely in the interests of Israel and who will not at all take into account the rights and needs of the Palestinians, said Chanah Dulin, Yesh Din’s director of international relations. Its aspirations to legalize all wild colonies and expand others are very clear. And he received a very substantial budget to implement his plans. »
One system for Israelis, another for Palestinians
In international law, however, these prerogatives are those of the occupying army. The transfer to a civilian authority therefore constitutes, for Yesh Din, a de facto annexation of the West Bank. It endorses the existence of a dual system: one for the Palestinians, one for the Israelis. A duality that defines the nature of the Israeli regime, says Rami Saleh, director of the Palestinian organization Jerusalem Legal Aid Center:
” We know it is not a democratic state. It is an illusion that the Israelis want to convey to Europeans and Americans, but it is not a democracy. It is a true apartheid state, and apartheid is undemocratic. »
Strongly opposed by Israel, this term apartheid is now taken up by a number of international organizations. And for this delegation, the policies of the Netanyahu government make it possible to highlight the inequalities of treatment between Israelis and Palestinians.