Protest against Netanyahu before departure for Berlin
In the dispute over the judicial reform planned in Israel, President Isaac Herzog presented a compromise proposal that was immediately rejected by the government.
In the dispute over the judicial reform planned in Israel, President Isaac Herzog presented a compromise proposal that was immediately rejected by the government. In a television speech on Wednesday evening, the head of state announced that he had spoken to politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties. This led to his proposal for a “compromise by the people”.
Above all, Herzog’s proposal softens the most controversial points of the government’s planned reform, against which there have been nationwide protests for weeks. According to the president, it should serve as a basis for further negotiations and “replace” the current government draft.
At the same time, Herzog warned of the consequences if there were no compromise: “Those who think that a civil war is impossible have no idea how close we are to it.”
Despite the President’s warnings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the proposal. He welcomes “every attempt to find a solution or a dialogue,” he said before leaving for a visit to Germany. “But what the president is proposing was not accepted by the representatives of the ruling coalition.” Herzog’s proposal would merely “perpetuate” the current situation in the country’s judicial system, Netanyahu said. But the government does not want this.
The reform planned by the government provides more power for parliament and less rule-of-law control by the independent judiciary. Critics fear that the separation of powers will be abolished and that democracy in Israel will be undermined.
The planned reform should also be a topic during Netanyahu’s visit to Germany, for which he arrived in Berlin early Thursday morning. During the day he will meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Steinmeier has already announced that he wants to talk to his guest about the reform and urge the preservation of the democratic constitutional state in Israel.
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