AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP
The figure of Benjamin Netanyahu concentrates all the criticism in the demonstrations against his great judicial reform, like this Saturday March 25 in Tel Aviv.
INTERNATIONAL – ” Democracy “ et ” freedom “, they chant. In Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Haifa, thousands of Israelis have been demonstrating since the beginning of the year against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most right-wing ever formed in the country’s history.
On the night of Sunday to Monday March 27, they were still very numerous to converge on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, the epicenter of the protest after the head of government dismissed his Minister of Defense who asked to pause a disputed text on justice. A few hours later, the head of the largest trade union center called for a ” general strike “ immediate.
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A few days ago, Benjamin Netanyahu, leaving for an official visit to Rome, had to reach Ben-Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, on board a helicopter because the roads were blocked by hundreds of cars. The protests also forced US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to cut short his visit to Israel in early March. “The right of expression is not an open door to anarchy and should not disrupt the lives of citizens”, then reacted the Minister of National Security, the ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir, cantor of the extreme right and one of the most controversial personalities of the government. “ It is forbidden to block the main traffic axes.he warned.
Two exits: one « catastrophe » or a « solution »
These monster demonstrations are aimed more particularly at the judicial reform carried out by the executive. It would allow the Prime Minister to appoint judges and Parliament to overturn decisions made by the Supreme Court with a simple majority. Its opponents believe they are witnessing a real affront to democracy.
The government affirms for its part that the reform is necessary to restore a balance of power between elected officials and justice “ independent »but not “ omnipotent », in the words of Benjamin Netanyahu, who accuses the Supreme Court of being politicized. Irony of history: the Prime Minister being prosecuted for corruption in several cases, he could use his reform to break a possible judgment coming to condemn him.
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JACK GUEZ / AFP
Israelis demonstrate against the judicial reform wanted by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, on March 9, 2023 in Tel Aviv.
Even Israeli President Isaac Herzog, usually confined to a representative role, has already intervened on several occasions to express his opposition to this law. This Monday morning, he again called on the government to ” stop immediately » the legislative process. ” We witnessed some very difficult scenes last night. The whole nation is in deep concern. Our security, our economy and our society are all at risk “, he wrote. A few days earlier, he had called the text “ threat to the foundations of democracy”.
Reservists join the fight
According to him, there are only two ways out of this political crisis: a « catastrophe » or a « solution ». In any case for the moment, the crisis is bogged down. On March 1, police used force with stun grenades and water cannons to disperse protesters in Tel Aviv, the first since January, the agency reported. Associated Press. A Reuters video shows the high tensions between police on horseback in the face of angry crowds in this city which borders the Mediterranean Sea.
Israeli police fired stun grenades and clashes broke out in Tel Aviv during a nationwide ‘day of disruption.’ Prote…
— Reuters (@Reuters)
On the same day, Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, had to be evacuated from a hair salon in front of which demonstrators had gathered. The head of government posted a photo in the evening of him hugging his wife with a sentence: “Anarchy must end. It can cause death.”
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Sarah my beloved wife, glad you returned home safely and unharmed. The anarchy must stop – it can cost lives.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu)
A new turning point took place earlier in March. 37 of the Air Force’s 69th Squadron’s 40 elite pilots threatened not to participate in mandatory training. In a letter published in the media, the strikers explained that they did not want to serve a dictatorial regime. They finally agreed to suspend their boycott and participate in a discussion with their commanders, reports the BBC.
Calls from reservists, many in this country where military service is compulsory, to refuse to serve have multiplied in recent weeks. So much so that 10 former Air Force chiefs asked Benjamin Netanyahu to“stop and find a solution” to this crisis. “We fear the consequences of this process, and the serious and tangible danger it poses to the national security of the State of Israel”they wrote in an open letter.
A risk of“total anarchy”
The head of government responded to these affronts with a black and white ID photo from the time he was himself in the army, in 1967. “When the reservists are called, we always show up. We are a nation”he wrote to accompany this shot.
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When the reserves are called, we always show up. We are one people 🇮🇱
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu)
After almost three months of protest, demonstrators and government are each camped on their positions. In an editorial published in March in the newspaper ha’aretz and relayed by Courrier international, the political journalist Anshel Pfeffer tried to anticipate the continuation of this crisis with different scenarios, and he is not optimistic. Scenario one, the reform passes despite protest from the streets “but Israel risks remaining permanently divided, with disastrous consequences for the future. »
Or, he continues, concessions are granted by the government but each side remains unhappy and protests escalate. The government could also take a break and buy time in the face of international condemnations, notably that of the United States. Defense Minister Llyod Austin indeed recalled during his whirlwind visit the importance of a “ independent judiciary”.
Scenario four, the Supreme Court rejects the reform and Binyamin Netanyahu is forced out of office due to his court cases. “Israel has no real Constitution, there is no manual for what happens next. […]. In other words, it would be total anarchy,” warns Anshel Pfeffer.
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Finally, the journalist fears an economic crisis with the flight of companies, or even a third intifada in this tense context where violence has multiplied between the most extremist Israeli settlers and the Palestinians since the arrival of the far right in power. Are we heading towards a « catastrophe » ?
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