Ashish Ranjan
Mass protests in Israel: Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a day after he called for a halt to a controversial plan to reform the country’s judicial system.
As the news began to filter in, tens of thousands of Israeli flag-waving protestors took to the streets. The reorganization of the Israeli judiciary by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignited unprecedented opposition throughout Israeli society.
During the mass protests, Israelis opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform proposal block a highway. In an unprecedented conflict between the new government and Israel’s judges, demonstrators have accused Netanyahu of endangering democratic rule.
According to the BBC, critics assert that Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, is attempting to reign in the judges in an effort to avoid going to prison himself. They assert that the proposed reorganization of the judiciary would endanger democratic judicial checks on ministers.
FLIGHTS FROM MAIN ISRAEL AIRPORT GROUNDED
As the protest spread, Israel’s Airports Authority informed AP that departure flights from the country’s primary international airport have been suspended due to a strike. The Times of Israel reports that the first to act is the airport labor union.
Israeli police disperse protesters obstructing a highway during a demonstration against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s plans to reform the legal system. (Photo: AP)
Protest in Tel Aviv – Israel has moved to an intense stage of protests after Netanyahu’s sacking of the defense minister. pic.twitter.com/z6P45VlmV4
— Ashok (@ashoswai) March 26, 2023
Monday’s mass protests was announced by Israel’s largest labor union and could paralyze significant portions of the economy. The flight modifications are anticipated to affect tens of thousands of passengers.
AP reported that planes can still land at Ben-Gurion Airport, outside of Tel Aviv’s expansive coastal metropolis, for the time being.Opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform proposal demonstrate outside the Knesset.
ISRAEL’s LARGEST UNION CALLS STRIKE
Histadrut union leader Arnon Bar-David delivered a CNN-reported televised speech in which he called for a “historic” general strike to “stop this judicial revolution, this craziness.””Stop this legal proceeding before it’s too late,” Bar-David said directly to Benjamin Netanyahu.
Twitter videos depicted a sea of demonstrators armed and on the streets in opposition to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s judicial reforms. The reforms are primarily intended to alter the method of appointing justices and limit the court’s ability to overturn laws passed by the Israeli government.
Tel Aviv, today. Estimated as the largest protest in the history of Israel pic.twitter.com/2CEGz4cl2b
— Danel Lushi (@DanelLushi) March 25, 2023
A video that went viral showed the Israeli Philharmonic performing the national anthem at the protests.
ISRAELI PRESIDENT CONTACTS GOVT
CNN reports that on Monday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the government to promptly halt its planned judicial overhaul. The president stated, “The entire world is watching you.””For the sake of Israeli unity and committed responsibility, I urge you to immediately halt the legislative procedure,” said the president.
In addition, former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett requested that Benjamin Netanyahu suspend the government’s judicial reform plan and engage in dialogue. Bennett also stated that the reinstatement of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was necessary.
Also Read | Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu removes defence minister Yoav Gallant
In an exclusive interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, however, a defiant Netanyahu stated, “I’m not trying to destroy democracy; I’m trying to save it.”
Three months after assuming office, Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious coalition has been thrown into crisis by the bitter divisions exposed by its signature plans for judicial reform.
