Israel: Netanyahu to suspend justice reform

by Ari Rabinovitch

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to announce the suspension of his much-contested justice reform, Channel 12 television reported on Monday, hours after President Isaac Herzog called for it.

While hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated again on Sunday evening after the dismissal of the Minister of Defense, who spoke out on Saturday for a withdrawal from the reform, Benjamin Netanyahu will speak at 10:30 a.m. (07:30 GMT), according to Channel 12.

A source within the Prime Minister’s Likud party also said he expected the latter to announce the suspension of the justice reform.

President Isaac Herzog came out of his reserve after the demonstrations on Sunday evening to call on the head of government to reason.

“In the name of the unity of the people of Israel, in the name of responsibility, I ask you to immediately stop the legislative process,” he wrote on Twitter.

The reform also completed its parliamentary journey on Monday with its validation by the Knesset’s Constitution Committee for possible ratification during the day, according to Israeli television.

Under pressure, Benjamin Netanyahu sacked his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, on Sunday, after the latter deviated from the government line by speaking out on Saturday in favor of suspending the reform project.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in response to the news, many waving Israeli flags.

A crowd gathered in front of the residence of Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, managing at one point to cross a security cordon, before the police used water cannons to disperse the protesters.

Taking office about three months ago, the ultra-conservative coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu is shaken by internal tensions around this flagship measure wanted by the Prime Minister.

THREAT TO STATE SECURITY

“State security cannot be a card in the political game. Netanyahu crossed a red line tonight,” opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz said in a joint statement, calling the Prime Minister’s Likud party not to take part “in the crushing of national security”.

Yoav Gallant, for his part, reacted to his dismissal via Twitter, declaring that “the state of Israel’s security has always been and will always be my life’s mission”.

On Saturday, the former commander of the Israeli navy warned that the justice reform represented a “clear, immediate and tangible threat” to state security, asking to suspend the project. He added, during a televised address, to be ready to “pay any price” for the good of the country.

Denounced by its detractors as an obstacle to democracy, the project aims to give the government greater weight in the choice of judges and to limit the capacity of the Supreme Court to annul laws passed by Parliament.

In Washington, a White House spokeswoman said the United States is “deeply concerned” by events in Israel and “strongly urges” Israel’s leaders to reach a compromise as soon as possible.

This crisis comes even as the Israeli security services are concerned about a possible escalation of violence in the coming weeks, against a backdrop of growing tensions with the Palestinians, as Ramadan has begun.

Separately, senior Finance Ministry officials have said the proposed reform could have economic repercussions, with executives also saying they are worried about the future of their businesses.

Stepping up the pressure on the government, the main civil service union said it was “stunned” by the dismissal of Yoav Gallant and promised a “spectacular” announcement on Monday.

(Report Ari Rabinovitch, Ronen Zvulun and Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Rami Amichay in Tel Aviv; French version Jean Terzian and Kate Entringer)