Chaos and disarray sweep Israel as Netanyahu pressured to freeze judicial reform
Israel’s largest labor union, Histadrut, and the federation of local authorities announced on 27 March the start of a general strike in protest to the government’s planned judicial overhaul.
“We are not a Banana Republic,” Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David said during a press conference on Monday. “We have lost our way … We are all joining hands to shut down the State of Israel,” he added.
As part of the strike, workers at Ben Gurion Airport shut down the departures area and grounded all flights.
The announcement was made just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked defense minister Yoav Gallant over his opposition to the government’s plans.
Gallant’s removal sparked massive protests against Netanyahu’s government, with hundreds of thousands flooding the streets of Tel Aviv.
Mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv to protest the judicial reforms and the dismissal of the Defense Minister by Netanyahu. pic.twitter.com/FEW0ckxebb
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) March 26, 2023
On Saturday night, Gallant went on TV to argue for a halt to the judicial reforms in a speech at a time Netanyahu was out of the country on an official visit to the UK.
“The growing rift in our society is penetrating the [army] and security agencies. This poses a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the security of the state. I will not lend my hand to this,” Gallant said.
Hundreds of military reservists have started to mutiny in recent weeks, putting Israel’s military operations at risk, according to security officials.
In response to the growing crisis, Hebrew media on Monday morning said Netanyahu would announce a halt to the judicial overhaul plan. However, the premier was forced to postpone a scheduled press conference due to internal strife within his government coalition.
According to Kann News, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir “shouted and warned Netanyahu’s office [that] stopping the legislation will lead to the dissolution of the coalition.”
בן גביר צעק והזהיר בלשכת נתניהו: מה זה הדבר הזה? אנחנו לא יכולים להתקפל ככה – עצירת החקיקה תוביל לפירוק הקואליציה@shemeshmicha @yaara_shapira
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 27, 2023
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, from the Jewish supremacist Otzma Yehudit party, also told media that his party is “[not] ready to stop the legislation,” adding that any freeze to the overhaul plan would be “giving in to political coercion.”
Calls for Netanyahu’s removal from office have also grown, with Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman calling on Likud lawmakers “oust Netanyahu and form a new coalition consisting of the Zionist parties, with the prime minister coming from the ranks of Likud.”
