In recent years, one parliamentary election after another has demonstrated a stable division of society between its “left” and “right” parts. It reached the point of absurdity – even the absence of a deputy from the ruling party in the meeting room, who at the time of the vote went to the toilet, became the reason for the failure of bills presented by the government to parliament.
However, the main tests of executive power in Israel began in the Supreme Court, which is also called “the highest court of justice.”
In the early years of the existence of the Jewish state, this court first considered citizens’ complaints about the violation of their rights, but then began to analyze laws passed by parliament for compliance with the constitution. . As a result, the initiatives of the Israeli government that passed through parliament, having fallen into the hands of the judges, were canceled. It was impossible to challenge the decisions of the Supreme Court.
According to Netanyahu, the court turned out to have a higher status than the government, the president and the parliament – whoever controlled this body could block any decision of the cabinet of ministers.
In Israel, in the presence of a “right” government, the Supreme Court remains in the hands of representatives of “left” parties. This prevents the Prime Minister from keeping his campaign promises. Opponents of Netanyahu have understood that by losing control of the Supreme Court, they could not prevent the Parliament from passing laws promoted by ministers, since the majority of the lawmakers today belong to the coalition led by the Prime Minister . Hence the exasperation of society on a seemingly procedural question: who will appoint the judges and how the government will be able to overcome the veto imposed by the Supreme Court.
Without going into details, the reform of the judicial system proposed by Netanyahu allowed the government to circumvent the opinion of the “highest court of justice”, and, if the circumstances were favorable, to appoint its own men there. Opponents of Netanyahu say government plans to control the appointment of judges would interfere with the investigation of corruption cases against senior state officials. And there were many such processes in Israel. Repeatedly “victims” of Themis include former Presidents Moshe Katsav and Ezer Weizman, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, former MP Omri Sharon, the list can be continued a long time. Yes, and Netanyahu himself is accused in at least three cases. According to local media, this is the first time in the country’s history that the current Prime Minister is in the dock in a criminal trial. Reforming the Israeli justice system for Netanyahu is therefore a matter of political survival. Hence the inflexible obstinacy of the Prime Minister who, despite the protests, did not want to make any concessions until the end.
Netanyahu’s decision to halt judicial reform is unlikely to be due to pressure from the streets. But after the demonstrators, in addition to Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, were supported by the Minister of Defense, and some soldiers announced their participation in disobedience actions, the situation became critical. Former Israeli Air Force commander’s claim that ‘Netanyahu started a civil war’ on Monday didn’t seem like a stretch – media reported highways blocked by protesters, country’s main airport not functioning, municipal and educational establishments closed. In disagreement with the Cabinet’s actions, Israel’s consul general in New York resigned. The Israeli police commissioner distanced himself from the prime minister’s decisions, declaring the right of citizens to protest peacefully. So far, the unions have refrained from participating in civil actions, but this pause could not last long.
Former Israeli Air Force commander’s claim that ‘Netanyahu started a civil war’ on Monday didn’t sound like an exaggeration
Netanyahu has stepped down temporarily. “The rooster was the last to fly out the door, rather feathered, but undefeated” – this quote from the Town Musicians of Bremen accurately reflects the current position of the Prime Minister. Officially, Netanyahu has retained the government and a shaky majority in parliament, giving him reason not to step down. But the unconditional victory of the opponents of the judicial reform, which they will not fail to celebrate loudly, risks turning into new protests under the slogans of the immediate resignation of the government and new elections. Whatever the course of events, Israel is going through a long period of instability – the BBC, as Netanyahu is called in the country, was slow to make a decision on judicial reform, and now it urgently needs a a significant pretext for mobilizing society and maintaining its unity. And that pretext throughout Israel’s history has been war…
The Prophet Moses, who led the Jews for 40 years in the wilderness of modern-day Israel, would inevitably find himself on trial in the Supreme Court for voluntarism and violating election procedures during his tenure in power. Moïse could also be “stitched” with corruption, attempts to interfere in the investigation. And no divine trickery could have helped today’s top Jewish lawmaker avoid a guilty verdict from Israel’s highest court.
