Protests against government plans to curtail judiciary set to renew

Mass protests against the government efforts to curtail the country’s judiciary were set to renew Saturday evening for the seventh weekend straight, with rallies in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba and numerous other cities.

The central event was to be held, as usual, on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street at 7 p.m., leading to multiple road closures in the area. In Jerusalem, protesters will once again gather outside the President’s Residence.

Monday is expected to see the first reading in the Knesset of legislation that would give the coalition control over the selection of judges, as well as of a bill to render Basic Laws immune to judicial oversight. Discussion will also be continuing on other parts of the overhaul package in the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

Organizers of the protests have declared Monday as a “national day of struggle,” which will include a large rally outside the Knesset, marches in various cities, and the closure of some businesses.

New surveys published Friday indicated that a plurality of Likud voters want the government to pause its legislative blitz and allow a chance to reach a compromise with the opposition.

A poll aired by Channel 12 showed 45% of Likud voters backed such a step, while 28% wanted the legislation to move forward. Meanwhile, 17% backed a pause if the public protests stop first, while 10% said they didn’t know.

With President Herzog’s proposal for compromise talks having so far failed to lead to negotiations, respondents were asked who was to blame: 42 pointed their finger at the coalition, 31% the opposition and 27% said they didn’t know.

Kan news conducted a similar survey, finding that 49% of Likud voters wanted to stop and hold talks, 36% wanted to move forward without compromise, and 15% didn’t know.

The Kan poll also looked at voters of other coalition parties, finding greater backing for the overhaul in its current form there. Among voters of Religious Zionism, 36% backed pausing, 49% wanted to move forward and 15% didn’t know. Among voters of Haredi parties, only 19% supported a pause, 63% wanted to push forward and 18% didn’t know.

Neither network gave data on how many people were polled, through which means, or the margin of error.

Channel 12 reported Friday that top high-tech leaders were in recent days actively seeking to mediate between the sides to try to reach a compromise on the sweeping reforms, meeting with President Herzog, Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich and top opposition figures.

The report said the tech executives told the sides they would publicly back any talks, hopefully calming investors and curbing the outflow of money from Israel as economic jitters grow over the shakeup.

On Thursday, 20 business leaders warned Economy Minister Nir Barkat of “a massive withdrawal of capital from the country” if the overhaul passes unchanged, adding that Israel’s credit rating will also be downgraded.

This past Monday saw tens of thousands rally outside the Knesset against the legislation’s advance, with assessments of some 100,000 people attending.

The committee advanced the legislation a day after Herzog issued a rare plea for deliberation and compromise on the plan and offered a five-point proposal for negotiations on the judicial shakeup.

Herzog warned in his televised address that the country was on the brink of “societal and constitutional collapse” and urged proponents of both sides to refrain from violence, particularly against public servants and elected officials.

Legal authorities, finance and business leaders, and security officials have also issued a steady stream of dire warnings against the government’s plans.

The legal overhaul, advanced by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would grant the government total control over the appointment of judges, including to the High Court, severely limit the High Court’s ability to strike down legislation, and enable the Knesset to re-legislate laws the court does manage to annul with a bare majority of just 61 MKs.

Critics say that along with other planned legislation, the sweeping reforms would undermine Israel’s democratic character by upsetting its system of checks and balances, granting almost all power to the executive branch and leaving individual rights unprotected and minorities undefended.

Netanyahu and other coalition members have dismissed the criticism, saying the changes will strengthen democracy by returning power to the people over a judiciary they say is elitist and disconnected.