Israeli CEOs join protests against Netanyahu

CEOs, soldiers, high-tech executives, doctors and lawyers are among the participants in the protests that have been taking place in Israel for weeks.

As the protest movement, which opposes judicial regulation and other right-wing policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel, has been demonstrating for 6 months, the excess of protesters from the upper classes is striking.

According to Bloomberg’s analysis, these protests include top executives, reservists and CEOs, not the radicals normally excluded by the establishment. These groups use traditional symbols as banners against Netanyahu’s populist policies.

THE BUSINESS WORLD IS IN PROTESTS

“They are the backbone of Israeli society,” said physicist Shikma Bressler, one of the protest leaders. They are people who have founded companies and chaired large organizations. Among those arrested on the streets are the CEOs of unicorns (companies valued at more than a billion dollars).

High-level names stand out among the members of the group Hofshi b’artzenu (Free in our country), which takes its name from the Israeli national anthem.

Eran Schwartz, CEO, is a former Air Force pilot and best known for his role as deputy director of the Ministry of Social Equality. Daria Shaked Henig, a former businesswoman dedicated to promoting women in Silicon Valley, is one of the prominent protesters.

The team’s executive committee also includes former chiefs of staff Dan Halutz and Moshe Ya’alon. Dina Zilber, a former assistant attorney general, Gilead Sher, a senior attorney, and Yossi Kucik, an investment consultant, are also on the team’s executive committee.

Tech entrepreneur Zohar Levkovitz, former CEO of Israel’s largest advertising firm Ilan Shiloah and owner of a large public relations firm Itay Ben Horin are also active protesters.

The top names that hold weekly meetings also perform tasks such as fund allocation, strategic planning and providing office services for NGOs.

STRIKE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE

On the other hand, big companies and high-tech firms in Israel decided to go on strike after the coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought to Parliament for final approval the bill that would lift the control of the Supreme Court over the government.

According to reports in the Israeli press, the Israel Business Organization, which represents some 150 companies, including shopping centers, banks, gas stations and supermarkets, announced that it will go on strike today against the government’s judicial regulation.

Calling on other institutions and organizations in the country to “join this emergency step to stop unilateral legislation and bring the parties to the table to reach a consensus,” the Israel Business Organization, in a written statement, demanded that the Prime Minister “understand the scope of the disaster that will arise and immediately suspend the bill and begin negotiations.”
On the other hand, some 200 companies in the high-tech sector, which is defined as the locomotive of the Israeli economy, announced that they have given their employees permission to participate in today’s protests.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The “judicial reform” announced by Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin on January 5 includes changes such as limiting the powers of the Supreme Court and the power to have a say in judicial appointments.

Netanyahu announced that he had postponed judicial regulation, sparking mass protests and strikes across the country, on March 27, but announced that he would put judicial regulation back on the agenda after Parliament approved the 2023-2024 budget in late May.

After negotiations on judicial regulation between Netanyahu’s coalition and the opposition stalled, the government recently pushed the button again in the area of ​​judicial regulation.

Protests against the Netanyahu government, which have been going on for six months across the country, have accelerated in recent weeks as judicial reform has once again come to the fore.