Thousands of Israelis protest in last-ditch effort to block judicial reforms

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Protesters poured into Jerusalem on Saturday, while a group of 10,000 reservists said they would voluntarily stop duty in a last-ditch effort to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt a controversial judicial overhaul.

The fight over the government’s plans has plunged Israel into its deepest political crisis in years, sparking 29 weeks of mass protests, criticism of US President Joe Biden’s administration, and Israel’s own central bank warning that the fighting is damaging the economy.

Waving Israeli flags and braving soaring temperatures, tens of thousands of protesters made their way to the parliament in Jerusalem, undertaking a four-day, 70km walk from Tel Aviv that organizers said was to “save democracy”. According to Israeli media, protests also took place in several other cities, including one in Tel Aviv attended by some 100,000 people.

Street rallies as well as resistance from reservists in Israel’s army have grown, with a group called Brothers in Arms saying on Saturday that 10,000 of its members will stop reporting for duty in protest of the government’s plans.

The announcement followed a similar move by more than 1,100 Air Force reservists on Friday, prompting the military’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, to admit that the military’s “cohesion has been damaged, (in a way) that will take a long time to repair”.

In a sign of growing nervousness among senior officials about the impact of the reservists’ threats, Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Friday night that he was taking steps to “ensure the security” of Israel, after Channel 12 reported that he was trying to persuade government and opposition leaders to delay the overhaul and reach a deal.

However, other government ministers, including Migrant Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, insisted on Saturday that the overhaul would continue as planned. Chikli also attacked constables who were refusing to report for duty and compared their behavior to extortion.

“Israel’s (parliament) and government cannot surrender to threats to the security of political subordinates,” he wrote on Twitter.

The first issue of the overhaul – which would bar Israel’s top court from using the standard of “reasonableness” to overturn government decisions – is due to be voted through parliament next week.

Government officials say this and other changes, such as reshaping the panel that appoints judges, are necessary to curb an overly powerful judiciary, which they believe has pushed a partisan, left-wing agenda.

However, critics say the government’s proposals would remove major controls on Israeli governments, pave the way for weakening minority protections, encourage corruption, and harm the economy.

On Saturday, several former leaders of the Israeli military, the Mossad intelligence agency and the Shin Bet internal security agency published a letter calling on Netanyahu to delay the overhaul and support the reservists’ actions.

“The legislative process violates the social contract that has existed for 75 years between thousands of reserve commanders and soldiers,” former security officials wrote. “(We) are holding up a bright red stop sign in front of you and your government.”

Get free Israel updates

we will send you one myFT Daily Digest Latest Email Rounding israel News every morning.

Protesters poured into Jerusalem on Saturday, while a group of 10,000 reservists said they would voluntarily stop duty in a last-ditch effort to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt a controversial judicial overhaul.

The fight over the government’s plans has plunged Israel into its deepest political crisis in years, sparking 29 weeks of mass protests, criticism of US President Joe Biden’s administration, and Israel’s own central bank warning that the fighting is damaging the economy.

Waving Israeli flags and braving soaring temperatures, tens of thousands of protesters made their way to the parliament in Jerusalem, undertaking a four-day, 70km walk from Tel Aviv that organizers said was to “save democracy”. According to Israeli media, protests also took place in several other cities, including one in Tel Aviv attended by some 100,000 people.

Street rallies as well as resistance from reservists in Israel’s army have grown, with a group called Brothers in Arms saying on Saturday that 10,000 of its members will stop reporting for duty in protest of the government’s plans.

The announcement followed a similar move by more than 1,100 Air Force reservists on Friday, prompting the military’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, to admit that the military’s “cohesion has been damaged, (in a way) that will take a long time to repair”.

In a sign of growing nervousness among senior officials about the impact of the reservists’ threats, Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Friday night that he was taking steps to “ensure the security” of Israel, after Channel 12 reported that he was trying to persuade government and opposition leaders to delay the overhaul and reach a deal.

However, other government ministers, including Migrant Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, insisted on Saturday that the overhaul would continue as planned. Chikli also attacked constables who were refusing to report for duty and compared their behavior to extortion.

“Israel’s (parliament) and government cannot surrender to threats to the security of political subordinates,” he wrote on Twitter.

The first issue of the overhaul – which would bar Israel’s top court from using the standard of “reasonableness” to overturn government decisions – is due to be voted through parliament next week.

Government officials say this and other changes, such as reshaping the panel that appoints judges, are necessary to curb an overly powerful judiciary, which they believe has pushed a partisan, left-wing agenda.

However, critics say the government’s proposals would remove major controls on Israeli governments, pave the way for weakening minority protections, encourage corruption, and harm the economy.

On Saturday, several former leaders of the Israeli military, the Mossad intelligence agency and the Shin Bet internal security agency published a letter calling on Netanyahu to delay the overhaul and support the reservists’ actions.

“The legislative process violates the social contract that has existed for 75 years between thousands of reserve commanders and soldiers,” former security officials wrote. “(We) are holding up a bright red stop sign in front of you and your government.”