Israel's largest trade union group launched a strike across a broad swath of sectors Monday, joining a surging protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary — a plan that is facing unprecedented opposition.
The strike by the Histadrut umbrella group, which represents more than 700,000 workers in health, transit and banking, among many other fields, could paralyze large parts of Israel's economy, which is already on shaky ground, ratcheting up the pressure on Netanyahu to suspend the overhaul. Departing flights out of the country's main international airport were grounded in protest, affecting thousands of travellers.
The growing resistance to the plan came hours after tens of thousands of people burst into the streets around the country in a spontaneous show of anger at Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defense minister after he called for a pause to the overhaul. (AP)
Indonesia could lose its chance to host a global youth soccer tournament, and its chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after refusing to welcome a team from Israel.
FIFA canceled an important preparatory step after regional governors and protesters demanded Israel's team be excluded, and the tournament, planned for May 20-June 11, appears to be on hold.
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The official draw for group assignments in the Under-20 World Cup, was supposed to take place in Bali Friday, but FIFA canceled the event after the island's governor, Wayan Koster, called for a ban on the Israeli team playing there. (AP)
US President Joe Biden has not extended an invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Washington, a person familiar with the matter said.
The Biden administration welcomed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement, making its encouragement clear by dangling the prospect of an upcoming visit, “soon,” by the Israeli premier to the White House.
“I had a nice night of sleep last night, thank God,” Nides, the US ambassador, told Israel Army Radio Tuesday. “This morning I'm optimistic and I applaud the move.
Israel's central bank chief said that independent institutions are crucial for economic growth, as the shekel strengthened in a relief rally after the government delayed its contested judicial overhaul plan for a month.
The shekel, which had been the subject of wild swings in recent week in reaction to the political crisis, gained 1.4% to 3.543 per dollar in its largest one-day move since March 6.
Tel Aviv share indices were largely unchanged while government bond prices were up as much as 0.4%. "The existence of strong and independent institutions is essential for the stability and prosperity of the economy over time," Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron said on Tuesday in a letter to parliament's finance committee at the outset of the central bank's 2022 annual report. (Reuters)
“I feel relief but with doubt," Fega Gutman, Tel Aviv resident, said Tuesday. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, over the years "promised us a lot but didn’t always fulfill, unfortunately.”
“I feel good today, everything calmed down from yesterday,” said Maor Daniel, also from Tel Aviv. "We have to figure out together how to fix the situation, how to live together.” (AP)
While the battle may seem like an internal Israeli matter, its outcome could have important repercussions for the region and beyond.
Netanyahu's coalition allies are dominated by religious and nationalist hardliners who oppose Palestinian statehood and have close ties to the West Bank settlement movement. A weaker court system could clear the way for more aggressive settlement construction and even annexation of West Bank lands. That could lead to further friction with the Palestinians, who seek the Israeli-occupied West Bank as part of a future independent state, as well as with Israel's Western allies, who have voiced concerns about the overhaul and criticised the comments of some of his partners.
Israeli soldiers could also be more susceptible to war crimes prosecution in the Hague. One of Israel's key defenses has been that it has an independent judiciary capable of investigating and prosecuting wrongdoing by troops. A weakened judiciary could rob Israel of that defense.
Israel's high-tech industry, the engine of the country's economy, could also be affected. International agencies have already said they might lower Israel's debt rating if the overhaul passes since the agencies consider a strong judiciary crucial to ensuring a good business climate. A lower rating could make investors hesitant to do business in Israel and potentially lead companies with operations in Israel, including the world's leading tech giants, to scale back their presence. (AP)
The pause Netanyahu declared could help ease the tensions and buy him some time to find a compromise. But it also runs the risk of angering his far-right coalition partners — potentially threatening the stability of his government and risking the possibility of new elections.
Any new election would once again likely focus again on Netanyahu's suitability to govern while he faces serious legal problems. (AP)
Israel’s largest trade union is one of the most powerful institutions in the country, representing nearly 8,00,000 people across sectors that include health care, banking, government services, daycare and transportation. While the union has crippled parts of the economy in past labour disputes over the years, never before has it gone on strike to protest a political matter.
The decision was felt almost immediately. Israel’s main international airport cancelled all outgoing flights, stranding more than 70,000 travellers. Doctors and daycare workers said they would stay off the job, and others were expected to join as well.
The economy already has been hit by the protests, with the shekel currency tumbling in value in recent weeks. A protracted strike could have meant longer-lasting and deeper damage. (AP)
The country’s figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, said pausing the legislative blitz was “the right thing.” “This is the time for frank, serious and responsible discussion that will lead urgently to calming spirits and lowering the flames,” he said.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said he was willing to hold a “genuine dialogue” under Herzog’s sponsorship.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist who has pushed for quick passage of the package, said he would respect the delay but showed few signs of compromise.“The reform will pass,” he tweeted. “No one will scare us.” (AP)
Israel has experienced nearly three months of mass protests since Netanyahu’s confidant, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, unveiled the overhaul in January.
But the eruption of anger over Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's dismissal, organised quickly largely via the WhatsApp messaging app, was startling. In roughly one hour, tens of thousands of people blocked Tel Aviv’s main highway, and thousands more demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem home.
Gallant was the first Cabinet minister to break ranks and publicly call for a delay in the overhaul. With morale down and soldiers threatening not to report for duty, Gallant said that pushing ahead could hurt Israel’s military readiness.
In security-obsessed Israel, Gallant, a gruff retired general, is among the most respected members of the new Cabinet. By attacking the man responsible for national security, Netanyahu may have crossed a red line — and unwittingly united this deeply polarised country by touching upon national security, one of the few areas of consensus. (AP)
After taking power, key figures in Netanyahu’s Likud Party along with his governing partners pledged to quickly overhaul the country’s judicial system, which critics say is driven by a desire to push their ideological agendas with less judicial oversight.
The changes would give the governing coalition control over judicial appointments and weaken the country's Supreme Court by granting parliament the authority to overturn its decisions and limiting judicial review of laws.
Opponents say the overhaul would upend the country’s delicate system of checks and balances by giving Netanyahu's ruling coalition control over what is now an independent judiciary. They also say Netanyahu has a deep conflict of interest in trying to reshape the legal system while on trial. The government says the legal changes are necessary to streamline governance in the face of an interventionist judiciary. (AP)
Here’s a look at Israel's most serious domestic crisis in decades:
Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption in three separate cases, has been at the center of political turmoil that has plagued the country since 2019.
After he was indicted, Netanyahu’s former governing partners turned on him, and he was unable to form a stable, lasting coalition. That led to a protracted political crisis that sent Israelis to the polls five times in less than four years.
After an 18-month political exile as opposition leader, Netanyahu returned to power late last year in a coalition with ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist allies, forming the country’s most right-wing government ever. He denies wrongdoing in the corruption cases. (AP)
Protesters gathered in huge numbers in Israel against PM Netanyahu's judicial reforms, as police struggled to push them back.
Israel’s planed overhaul of the judiciary, which had led to massive protests across the country for months, has been delayed for now.
“I agreed to remove the veto to reject the legislation in exchange for a commitment by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the legislation would be submitted to the Knesset for approval in the next session,” Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a statement.
This came as workers from a range of sectors in Israel launched a nationwide strike on March 27 threatening to paralyse the economy as they joined a surging protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary, reported Associated Press. While sections of Israel’s population have been protesting against the proposed laws for months, on Monday, there were reports that far right crowds were marching towards the protesters, raising concerns about a clash. (Read more)
According to a report by news agency Reuters, United States President Joe Biden has shared his concerns about the situation in Israel directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid protests over a planned judicial overhaul, the White House said on Monday.
White House spokesman John Kirby said Biden has been "very forthright" with Netanyahu. (Reuters)
Right-Wing Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman said that halting the government's planned judicial overhaul would be a mistake, according to a report by the news agency Reuters.
The comment comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to delay the process for discussions on the controversial planned judicial overhaul to parliament's next session.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a statement at 17:05 GMT (22:35 pm IST), news agency Reuters reported quoting the PM's office.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday agreed to delay the process for discussions on the controversial planned judicial overhaul to next month, according to a statement from the far-right and coalition member party Jewish Power.The party decided to push the legislation to the next Parliament session, amid — what is being referred to as — one of the largest protests in Israel’s history, sparked by the sacking of Netanyahu’s defence chief a day earlier. Read more here.
Vocing support for those staging protests in Israel, Jewish Democratic Council of America said it was deeply concerned about the firing of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel's democratic "checks and balances" are relatively fragile. It has no constitution, only "basic laws" meant to help safeguard its democratic foundations. In its one-chamber Knesset (parliament), the government holds a 64-56 majority in seats.
Critics say the changes will weaken the courts and hand unbridled power to the government, endangering democratic rights and liberties with catastrophic effects on the economy and relations with Western allies, who have already voiced concern.
A judiciary no longer seen as independent could also strip Israel of one of its main defences in potential international legal cases, which may include any allegations of war crimes in its long-running conflict with the Palestinians.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called on Saturday for the government to pull the legislation, saying disputes over the measures are threatening Israel's security, with thousands of army reservists joining protests and refusing call-ups for training.
Demonstrators gathered again outside the Knesset, or parliament, turning the streets surrounding the building and the Supreme Court into a roiling sea of blue-and-white Israeli flags dotted with rainbow Pride banners.
Meanwhile, Israelis from all over the country continued descending into Jerusalem and workers from a range of sectors joined a protest movement against the government's contentious plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged protesters "to behave responsibly and refrain from violence" as Israelis from all over the country started descending into Jerusalem and workers from a range of sectors joined a protest movement against the government's contentious plan.
This was Netanyahu's first public statement since widespread demonstrations erupted in reaction to his sacking of the defence minister. "I call on all the demonstrators in Jerusalem, on the right and the left, to behave responsibly and not to act violently. We are brotherly people," his tweet, translated to English, read.
Israeli embassies worldwide were instructed to join a strike against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan, a workers' union letter seen by Reuters said.
The letter, citing a nationwide strike in Israel declared by the Histadrut labour federation, said Foreign Ministry activities in the country and abroad would be limited to emergency services.
Israel's justice minister said he would respect any decision Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes about the future of a bitterly contested judicial overhaul, adding that lack of unity in the government could bring it down.
"A situation in which everyone does as they wish is liable to bring about the instant fall of the government and collapse of the (ruling party) Likud," Yariv Levin said in a statement. "We must all strive to stabilise the government and coalition."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to freeze the judicial reform legislation, a statement on which is expected at 10 am Israel time, according to Jerusalem Post. President Isaac Herzog called on the coalition to stop the legislation after protests across the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition government survived a no-confidence motion filed by the opposition in protest at its judicial overhaul plan. The motion failed by a vote of 59-53, the Knesset speaker said. (Reuters)
Protesters have been gathering in huge numbers in Israel against PM Netanyahu's judicial reforms. Here's a glimpse into the scale of the protests.
Several schools, kindergartens, day camps and malls have closed down due to the strike against Netanyahu's judicial overhaul move, reported local media
As per a report in The Times of Israel, several big shopping malls are closing for the day and some have announced that they will not open tomorrow.
Israel's Airports Authority says departing flights from the country's main international airport have been grounded following a strike called in protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul.
Tens of thousands are expected to be affected by the flight changes. Planes will for the moment still be able to land at Ben-Gurion Airport, outside the sprawling seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv. (AP)
Hospitals and medical services have announced that they are joining the strike against the judicial overhaul, reported The Times of Israel.
The Health Ministry said that while emergency care will still be provided, it respects the right of medical professionals to protest.
Netanyahu, who has just returned from an official trip to the UK, was set to halt the reforms in an address to the public at 10 am local time (12.30 pm IST), but the statement was delayed after far-right groups in his coalition government threatened to back out if he halted the reforms.
Among the demonstraters is Histadrut, Israel’s largest trade union group. Histadrut head Arnon Bar-David announced a "historic" labour strike, saying "Together, we say enough."
“We have lost our way — this is not about left or right,” the union head told The Times of Israel. “We can no longer polarise the nation.”
Israel's Parliament, known as the Knesset, saw an intense debate between the ruling and opposition party members over the bill, reported the news agency Reuters.
Committee chairman Simcha Rothman, who introduced the bill, was greeted with cries of "Shame! Shame!". Opposition parties compared the bill to terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
"This is a hostile takeover of the State of Israel. No need for Hamas, no need for Hezbollah," Reuters reported one lawmaker telling Rothman as the constitution committee approved a key bill to go forward for ratification.
Rothman replied that the law is balanced and good for Israel.
As per a report in the news agency Reuters, the judicial overhaul would give the executive control over appointing judges to the Supreme Court. It would also allow the government to override court rulings on the basis of a simple parliamentary majority.
The Israeli government has said changes are needed to check activist judges and set a proper balance between the elected government and the judiciary. However, opponents said that it is an attempt to undermine the country's series of legal checks and balances and a threat to Israel's democracy.
Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges that he denies, has so far vowed to continue with the project. A central part of the overhaul package is a bill that would tighten political control over judicial appointments. It is due to be voted on in parliament this week.
As well as drawing opposition from the business establishment, the project has caused alarm among Israel's allies. The United States said it was deeply concerned by Sunday's events and saw an urgent need for compromise while repeating calls to safeguard democratic values.