Likud MPs tell Benjamin Netanyahu to pause legal reform

Defence Minister Yoav Galant has told the Israel Prime Minister he can no longer gurantee national security.

The Tel Aviv protest swells on Saturday night to about 200,000 demonstrators. Picture: AFP

Tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv overnight on Saturday against a judicial overhaul, as Defence Minister Yoav Galant broke ranks to call for a pause to the government reforms.

The latest demonstration to hit Israel’s commercial hub came days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press on with the changes despite mounting international alarm.

But his defence minister said on Saturday “we must stop the legislative process” for a month in view of the divisiveness of the reforms.

“The growing social rift has made its way into the (army) and security agencies. It is a clear, immediate and tangible threat to Israel’s security,” said Mr Galant, who is a member of Mr Netanyahu’s own Likud party. “I am committed to Likud values … and placing the State of Israel above all … but major changes on the national level must be made through deliberations and dialogue.”

His comments were welcomed by opposition leader Yair Lapid, who hailed a “brave and vital step for Israel’s security”.

Mr Galant called for the halt before Knesset members are due to vote this week on a central part of the government’s proposals, which would change the way judges are appointed. Two other Likud MPs tweeted their support for Mr Galant, raising questions over whether the government could count on a majority if it pushes ahead with a vote.

The Tel Aviv protest swelled on Saturday to about 200,000 demonstrators. “We’re here today to show up and add our voice to the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Israelis that support the values that this country was founded on,” said hi-tech worker Daniel Nisman, mentioning democracy and tolerance. “This is all we can hope for, that he (Netanyahu) brings us back from the edge of the abyss,” the 36-year-old said.

Demonstrations erupted in January after the coalition announced its reform package, which the government says is necessary to rebalance powers between legislators and the judiciary. But protester Daphne Oren-Magidor, 41, said the overhaul risked Israel “turning into a dictatorship”. “The laws that are being passed right now are laws that are aimed to make the government essentially the sole ruler and destroy the separation of powers,” the historian said at a Jerusalem rally.

Thousands of demonstrators marched past the Jerusalem residence of President Isaac Herzog, who has been a key voice for dialogue in the dispute.

Plans to hand more control to politicians and diminish the role of the Supreme Court have been questioned by Israel’s allies, including US President Joe Biden. Mr Netanyahu was greeted by hundreds of protesters in London, where he met his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on Friday. During the talks, the British Prime Minister “stressed the importance of upholding the democratic values that underpin our relationship, including in the proposed judicial reforms”.

Mr Netanyahu said on Thursday that the legislation due in the Knesset this week “does not take control of the court but balances and diversifies it”. But Attorney- General Gali Baharav-Miara said Mr Netanyahu’s intervention was “illegal” due to his corruption trial. The top legal official cited a previous court ruling that an indicted prime minister has no right to act on a matter that could place him in a conflict of interest.

A parliamentary committee has amended the draft law with the aim of making it more palatable to opponents, but the opposition has ruled out backing any part of the reform package until all legislative steps are halted.

AFP