Israel’s President: Judicial overhaul ‘could consume us all’

President Isaac Herzog warns the country is at a ‘fateful, testing moment’; Economists caution on potential damage; Israelis abroad join protests.

President Isaac Herzog has warned that Israel is on course to tear itself apart, amid the Government’s planned radical shakeup of the judicial system and mounting public opposition, and urged the country’s leadership to avoid confrontation and instead engage in patient dialogue and constructive debate.

“The democratic foundations of Israel, including the justice system and human rights and freedoms, are sacred, and we must protect them and the values expressed in the Declaration of Independence,” Herzog said, addressing a conference in Tel Aviv.

The President’s speech came as Israeli news reported that the coalition has decided to make the judicial overhaul its top priority, with the goal of passing it into law by the beginning of April.

An “emergency” letter signed by hundreds of senior Israeli economists has warned defanging the judicial system could affect Israel’s credit rating. The letter comes on the heels of a meeting between PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Bank of Israel Governor Professor Amir Yaron, in which Yaron warned that senior global economic figures had expressed concerns to him about the potential consequences of the Government’s planned judicial overhaul.

Herzog expressed concernabout the civic divide developing around the proposals.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in front of the President’s residence in Jerusalem, demanding he take a clear stance in defence of the judiciary.

“I see the sides prepared and ready all along the front for an all-out confrontation over the character of the State of Israel, and I am anxious we are on the brink of an internal struggle that could consume us all,” Herzog said.

He urged Israel’s leaders to “show responsibility … take the time needed for this critical discussion,” and warned, “The absence of dialogue is tearing us apart from within, and I’m telling you loud and clear: This powder keg is about to explode. This is an emergency.

“During the reigns of the House of David and the Hasmoneans, Jewish states were established in the land of Israel, and twice they collapsed before reaching their 80th anniversary. Let me emphatically emphasise: I am not a prophet of doom, I never was and never will be. I am a great believer in the resilience of the State of Israel, and the strength of the wonderful people who live here,” Herzog said. “And yet we are at a fateful, testing moment that will influence our people and our state.”

Civic action against the judicial changes is spreading. Israeli expatriates opposed to weakening the judiciary are planning a series of demonstrations in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, Sydney and Toronto.

In its third consecutive week, some 130,000 demonstrators came out on Saturday to oppose the new government’s judicial overhaul in one of the biggest protests the country has witnessed in the past decade. About 120,000 protesters blocked key roads in Tel Aviv, while thousands of others demonstrated in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Be’er Sheva.

Organisers of the demonstrations will hold two separate protests in Tel Aviv this weekend as well — with a number of sources familiar with the groups stating that they intend to ramp up activities and block major traffic arteries and call for a general strike.

On Thursday, hundreds of lawyers, former judges and legal professionals demonstrated outside courts across Israel in opposition to the new government’s plan while employees at several Israeli high-tech companies and start-ups demonstrated on Tuesday near the Sarona complex in Tel Aviv.

During a one hour “warning strike”, the high-tech demonstrators blocked the central Kaplan Street despite police threats to make arrests. They lifted Israeli flags and banners, many reading “There’s no high-tech without democracy.”

READ MORE
Herzog warns Israel’s leaders: Clash over judicial overhaul ‘could consume us all’ (Times of Israel)

Coalition said gunning to push judicial overhaul through Knesset by start of April (Times of Israel)
Report says Netanyahu’s government has made plan to weaken judiciary its foremost legislative priority; Justice Minister Levin holds first meeting with top prosecutor.

Senior Israeli Economists Warn Judicial Overhaul May Cause ‘Grave Damage’ to Country’s Economy (Haaretz)

Israelis Abroad to Protest New Government’s ‘Coup D’état’ (Haaretz)

Heading Toward Dictatorship’: Why Israeli High-tech Workers Held Their First-ever Strike (Haaretz)

ANALYSIS
Herzog must threaten to resign as the government begins to enact a judicial overhaul (Shalom Yerushalmi, Times of Israel)
Herzog is the only person who can counteract what he, too, has come to recognise as a looming catastrophe. But in order to do so, the President, who has been urging dialogue that can only amount to nothing, must stop hiding behind soft-spoken intimations and take a principled stand.

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Photo: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and President Isaac Herzog during the traditional group photo with Israel's new government, at the President's Residence, on December 29, 2022. (EPA/ABIR SULTAN)