TEL AVIV, Israel(AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he was determined to push ahead with a controversial plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system after negotiations for a compromise broke down.
Planned judicial reforms plunged Israel into one of the deepest domestic political crises of the year. Negotiations between the government and opposition parties had high hopes of finding a middle ground on proposed changes to the judicial system, but last week’s crisis over the influential commission responsible for judiciary appointments stalled negotiations.
At his cabinet meeting, Netanyahu accused the opposition of not negotiating in good faith and vowed to proceed with reforms cautiously. “This week, we will take concrete steps in a prudent and responsible manner in line with our mission to put the justice system right,” he said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu initially suspended reform plans in March in response to widespread protests. But the decision to move forward is expected to reignite tensions and fuel ongoing protests, which continue to demonstrate against reform every Saturday despite the hiatus.
Protest leaders have announced their intention to hold further demonstrations and promised to thwart any attempts to undermine Israel’s democratic judicial system.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who has started negotiations with Prime Minister Netanyahu, has warned that unilateral implementation of the plan would have devastating consequences for the economy, security and unity of the Israeli people. Netanyahu’s government, which is made up of supra-nationalist and supra-religious parties, faced significant opposition when the reform plan was first announced. Prominent economists, judicial officials and former defense officials have all expressed concern about the potentially dangerous impact on the future of the country, including the United States, Israel’s main international ally.
The government argues that the plan is necessary to restore power to elected officials and curb alleged excessive intervention by the Supreme Court. But critics say the reforms could undermine Israel’s delicate separation of powers and push the country toward authoritarianism.
The prime minister initially backed off in the face of mass protests and a general strike after dismissing the defense minister who opposed the plan. Reservists also threatened not to carry out their missions if the overhaul was approved.
Central to the reform plan is a commission responsible for the appointment of judges, including the composition of the Supreme Court. The composition of this commission has been a central point of contention throughout the reform debate.
Traditionally, both the ruling and opposition parties are represented by their respective MPs in bodies of nine MPs. But reform advocates argued that the coalition held both positions, prompting suspicions that Prime Minister Netanyahu and his allies were trying to field supporters in the judiciary. Opposition representatives were appointed to the committee by parliament last week, but the second post remains vacant, delaying the committee’s resumption of work. Both sides blamed each other for the failure of talks to appoint commissioners.
Israel faces a critical juncture in its democratic system as tensions mount over controversial judicial reforms, putting the country’s judicial and separation of powers future at stake.
