Protesters plan ‘complete paralysis’ of country if government ignores court rulings

Protesters are preparing to completely shut down the country if the government does not respect a High Court of Justice ruling on the “reasonableness” law or recusal law.

The anti-overhaul protesters “are prepared for a complete paralysis of the country, based on a general strike of the economy without a time limit,” a source within the protest movement tells the Ynet news site.

“Many important sectors in the economy have already joined the plan,” the source says.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to commit to honoring a theoretical High Court decision striking down the “reasonableness” law — which bars judicial review of government and ministerial decisions on the grounds of their reasonableness — raising concerns of a constitutional crisis.

The recusal law explicitly blocks the top court from ordering a prime minister to take a leave of absence and is widely seen as a reaction to fears that the High Court could force Netanyahu to step down, due to the potential conflict of interest created by him overseeing his coalition’s bid to dramatically overhaul the judiciary while he is himself on trial for multiple corruption charges.

Both laws will be ruled on in September, setting up a showdown between the judiciary and government.