Global Courant
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 73, was released from hospital Monday morning following heart surgery as tens of thousands of protesters held rival rallies ahead of a major vote on the government’s judicial overhaul plan.
Netanyahu’s sudden hospitalization for a pacemaker implant came ahead of Monday’s vote in parliament, which is expected to pass the first major piece of legislation in the controversial plan.
The overhaul requires sweeping changes to the powers of the judiciary, including limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions and changing the way judges are selected.
Netanyahu and his allies say the changes are necessary to keep the power of unelected judges in check, but opponents argue the plan will damage the country’s system of checks and balances and push Israel toward authoritarianism.
ISRAEL PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU HAS SUCCESSFUL SURGERY FOR PACEMAKER IMPLANT AFTER HEALTH SCARE
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 73, was released from hospital Monday following heart surgery as tens of thousands of protesters held rival rallies ahead of a major vote on the government’s judicial overhaul plan. (SEBASTIAN SCHEINER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The prime minister said he was seeking a compromise with his opponents as he prepared for Monday’s vote that would put a key piece of legislation into law.
“I want you to know that tomorrow morning I will join my colleagues in the Knesset,” he said on Sunday.
Protesters were seen waving Israeli flags and beating drums as they blocked roads in Jerusalem on Monday morning as police used water cannons to disperse them, according to the Associated Press.
“The State of Israel faces destruction and destruction brought upon it by a band of extremists and goofballs. We must go to Jerusalem today!” one branch of the protest movement declared on social media.
ISRAEL DEMONSTRATORS BLOCK HIGHWAYS AS PART OF A NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION AGAINST JUDICIAL REVIEW
The plan sparked seven months of protests and drew harsh criticism from business and medical leaders. An increasing number of military reservists in key units have said they will stop reporting if the plan is approved.
US President Joe Biden has called on Netanyahu to freeze the plan and Israeli ceremonial President Isaac Herzog, returning from a trip to the White House on Sunday, has tried to broker a compromise between the prime minister and his opponents.
“This is a time of need,” Herzog said. “We have to come to an agreement.”
The demonstration came a day before parliament was expected to vote on a key element of the plan. (AP)
Herzog scheduled meetings later on Sunday with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and the head of another opposition party, Benny Gantz of National Unity.
During the meeting, tens of thousands of supporters and opponents gathered for mass rallies. Netanyahu’s supporters marched into central Tel Aviv, which is normally the setting for anti-government protests, while his opponents sat in Israel’s Knesset, or parliament.
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After seven months of protests, lawmakers will vote on Monday on a review measure to stop judges from overturning government decisions that are “unreasonable”.
Simcha Rothman, one of the main proponents of the overhaul, slammed the courts, saying they harmed Israel’s democratic ideals by arbitrarily overturning government orders.
“This little clause is meant to restore democracy to the State of Israel,” Rothman said. “I call on Knesset members to pass the bill.”
Supporters say the current “reasonableness” standard gives judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials. Critics, on the other hand, argue that removing it would allow the government to authorize arbitrary decisions and make improper appointments or dismissals.
“Our country is on fire. You have destroyed the country,” Orit Farkash HaCohen of the opposition National Unity party said of the government. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
Israeli police use a water cannon to disperse protesters blocking a road during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government plans to overhaul the judiciary. (AP)
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Protesters claim the overhaul is an attempted power grab motivated by personal and political grievances of the prime minister and his partners.
Netanyahu and his allies announced the revision plan in January, just days after taking office. He interrupted the revision in March amid intense pressure from protesters and labor strikes that halted outbound flights and shut down parts of the economy.
He said after a failed compromise his government was making progress with the overhaul.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
