A few hundred Israelis took part in a march on Wednesday between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the seat of Parliament, where they plan to arrive on Saturday, to protest against the government’s plan to reform the judicial system.
“Faced with the progress of the reform, it is time to strike a decisive blow. It will take several days, we need you, join us”, declared in a short video Shikma Bressler, organizer of the protest movement.
The 70-kilometer march left Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening after a new day of mobilization that brought together thousands of Israelis against the reform project carried by the right-wing and far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seen by his detractors as a threat to democracy.
After a break during the hottest hours of the day, the marchers, waving Israeli flags, carrying water bottles and umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching sun, set off again around 5:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. GMT), according to an AFP reporter.
They plan to arrive Saturday evening in Jerusalem, where the bill’s legislative journey through the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, continues.
“We will set up tents around the Knesset,” one of the march’s organizers, Moshe Radman, 38, a high-tech employee, told AFP.
“We hope the government of Israel will hear the nation and stop the destruction,” he added.
The Knesset voted last week in first reading on a reform measure aimed at canceling the possibility for the judiciary to rule on the “reasonableness” of government decisions.
The parliamentary justice committee must have this measure examined by deputies at second and third reading from Monday.
This so-called “reasonableness” clause had forced Mr. Netanyahu in January to dismiss the number two in the government, Arié Dery, convicted of tax evasion, following the intervention of the Supreme Court.
The reform championed by the government, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history, aims to increase the power of elected officials over that of magistrates.
The government believes it is necessary to ensure a better balance of power, but its critics see it as a threat to democracy and its institutional safeguards.
The announcement of the project in January sparked one of the biggest protest movements in Israel’s history, which mobilizes tens of thousands of protesters across the country every week.
Dozens of Israeli army reservists signed a document Wednesday night in Tel Aviv certifying that they “refuse to serve voluntarily”, in protest against the reform.
The project also arouses criticism abroad, notably in the United States, close allies of Israel.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged the Israeli government not to “rush” its reforms and to proceed with caution, in an unusually direct criticism of Israel’s domestic politics.
“Finding consensus on politically contentious topics requires taking the necessary time. For significant change, this is crucial. My recommendation to the leaders of Israel is therefore not to rush” reform, said Joe Biden, quoted in an editorial from the New York Times.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who plays a largely ceremonial role but is seen as a more consensual figure than Benjamin Netanyahu, met Joe Biden in Washington on Tuesday.
In a speech to the US Congress on Wednesday, he forcefully defended democracy in Israel, despite controversy over judicial reform.
Mr. Herzog spoke of an “intense debate” in his country, “the clearest tribute to the fortitude of Israeli democracy”.
“Although we face painful problems, just like you, I know that our democracy is strong and resilient. Democracy is in Israel’s DNA,” he said.
19/07/2023 19:44:26 – Jerusalem (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
