Herzog: Those in power are chiefly responsible for mending rift caused by overhaul
President says he’s ‘deeply disappointed’ by failure to reach compromise but will press efforts to bridge gaps; coalition whip calls his comments ‘unfortunate’
President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday lamented the increasingly deep rifts in Israeli society over the government’s judicial overhaul push, and appeared to lay the blame primarily on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a failure to reach a compromise deal on the legislation.
In a statement ahead of the start of the Tisha B’Av fast that mourns the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, Herzog said he was “deeply disappointed” after his efforts to bring together the coalition and opposition to negotiate a broad judicial reform agreement broke down, with the coalition passing the first piece of legislation this week in the planned overhaul of the judiciary.
“I warned of this moment,” the president stated while stressing he was not willing “to lose hope.”
“If there’s the smallest chance, my team and I will continue to act in all possible ways to lower barriers and build bridges,” he added.
Noting his joint address to the US Congress last week, Herzog reiterated his commitment to maintaining democracy in Israel, which he said was in the country’s DNA, before he appeared to pin the lion’s share of the blame for the failure to reach a compromise on Netanyahu and his coalition.
“As I’ve previously stressed, the greater responsibility — even if not exclusive — for finding solutions that will benefit the country and society as a whole will always lie with whoever holds the reins of power,” the president said. “That’s how democracy works.”
He added that he expected the government’s “words of reassurance [on seeking consensus for further bills] to turn into actions.”
Coalition whip MK Ofir Katz called the president’s message “particularly unfortunate.”
“Instead of conveying a conciliatory message and joining the coalition’s call to return to negotiations, he points a finger at the coalition while ignoring that it was the heads of the opposition who behaved irresponsibly and blew up the talks due to the pressure of the protests, while disregarding significant efforts and far-reaching compromises made by the coalition,” Katz wrote.
Herzog appealed to all Israelis to refrain from “violence and irreversible moves,” then addressed reserve soldiers who have stopped showing up for volunteer duty or who have threatened to do in protest of the overhaul.
“You are truly the best of the best. But at the same time I fear for Israel’s security, which has been harmed by the threats of not volunteering or not appearing for service, and more so from the fulfillment of those threats,” he said.
He urged the reservists to reconsider and said he trusted them “to defend a stable and safe State of Israel.”
The military warned on Tuesday that its battle readiness may soon be impaired if reservists do not show up for duty over a lengthy period of time.
“We are on the eve of Tisha B’av and the echoes of history are crying out: It is the time for restraint, it is the time for responsibility, it is time to vigilantly guard the supreme commandment there can be no civil war,” Herzog said. “I believe in us. I believe that by working together we can turn Tisha B’Av – with our own hands and in the spirit of the words of the prophet – into a day of comfort. If only we fulfill what is written at the end of his prophecy: ‘to love peace and truth.'”
The statement came two days after the coalition passed a controversial bill preventing judges from striking down government decisions on the basis of being “unreasonable” — a move that was met with mass nationwide protests. The government’s critics say eliminating the judicial standard of reasonability opens the door to corruption and improper appointments of unqualified cronies to important positions.
Netanyahu also released a statement Tuesday, emphasizing he was seeking to reach a compromise on the overhaul.
“On the eve of Tisha B’Av, I believe it’s possible to reach agreements among ourselves, and together with my friends, we are working toward that,” Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem from Monday night into early Tuesday morning, burning tires, setting off fireworks, and waving national flags. At least 40 people were arrested in protests around the country. It took hours for police to clear highways in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as activists raged following the passage of the first piece of legislation in the government’s judicial overhaul plan.
The police has defended officers’ conduct in the face of claims of brutality towards demonstrators.
A survey carried out by Channel 13 on Tuesday found that 28% of respondents were weighing a move abroad over the divisive legislation, 64% were not and 8% were unsure.
