For weeks there had been considerable unrest among the Israelites, and today protesters again took to the streets en masse, according to Israeli correspondent Ralph Dekkers. Their main message? “May the reforms announced by Netanyahu be swept away,” he says. “Or at least postponed, so that we can discuss a broader agreement with the opposition.”
‘Protesters want reforms wiped off the table’
And this is a widely held view, says Dekkers, even though he notes that protests have now escalated and that Netanyahu’s departure is also being demanded by protesters. But a deal seems to be in the air, he says. “The reforms would be postponed until July, and in return a controversial far-right minister would be allowed to set up a national guard,” Dekkers continues. “A kind of private militia for himself, and that’s a pretty scary step.”
According to Dekkers, such a militia was not foreseeable. He says the minister in question has been one of the strongest opponents of postponing reforms. He also had a long-standing desire to build a private army. “Now the question is whether the protesters in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will be satisfied with that.”
United States
The conflict around Netanyahu and the proposal to allow the judiciary to be regulated by politicians has also attracted the attention of the United States. So much so that the United States has issued an official warning to Netanyahu. And that involves a lot of interests, says foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg. He says it is far from common, “because it is the rule between allies and democracies not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries”.
And that while this is indeed an internal affair of Israel, think. “However, a Biden spokesman has announced that the United States is indeed interfering.”
Relation
Especially since the relationship between the United States and Israel is not only a visible, overt, traditional friendship, but also because the military and intelligence connections are enormous. “And that can be seen in all kinds of factors,” Hammelburg continues. «Take, for example, the attacks carried out by the Israeli Air Force against Syrian and Iranian targets. All this is coordinated by the Americans. Not to mention the Iron Dome. It was all developed in collaboration with the Americans».
What is it about?
But what’s the big deal? The right-wing government wants to approve a package of reforms that will allow the Knesset (Israeli parliament) to overrule the decisions of the Supreme Court. This means that politicians can always have the last word. “And this is seen as a problem by experts, because Israel has no constitution, senate or human rights court,” said Israeli correspondent Ralph Dekkers. “The only true review of checks and balances comes from the Supreme Court. According to the protesters, if that power is taken away, a dictatorship will arise.’
Furthermore, a law is under discussion that modifies the composition of the commission that appoints judges. “Before it was judges, lawyers and politicians who would appoint a judge, and now politicians would have veto power.”