Thousands of Israelis demonstrated across the country on Tuesday, blocking major roads in protest an overnight vote in Parliament, which advanced efforts by the far-right coalition to limit judicial control of the government.
Ahead of larger rallies planned for the evening, protesters set up tents on a highway in central Israel, blocked thoroughfares in Tel Aviv and outside Jerusalem, and marched through the arrivals hall of the country’s main airport. Police fired water cannons at some demonstrators and arrested scores as they attempted to disperse the demonstrations. Video showed officers pushing news photographer Rami Shlush to the ground while he was covering the events. A police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The protests have not yet reached the intensity a wave of unrest in Marchwhen leading unions shut down large parts of the Israeli economy in protest at the government’s earlier efforts to limit the powers of the judiciary.
But they reflected that the debate over judicial reform is far from over: after a three-month hiatus during which the government and opposition tried to change things It was not possible to find a compromisethe government is again continuing parts of its plan, triggering widespread outrage.
The dispute is part of a wider social divide between the government and its supporters, who want to create a more religious and nationalist state, and its opponents, who hold a more secular and pluralistic vision. The rift is also rooted in a deep disagreement over the form and future of Israeli democracy.
The government says the overhaul aims to improve the democratic system by giving elected lawmakers more power than unelected judges.
But critics fear it undermines democracy by removing judicial oversight, risks government encroachment and potentially frees the current government to end the prosecution of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr Netanyahu is on trial for corruption, an accusation he denies. He has also dismissed any suggestion that he hoped to use his office to disrupt the process.
Tuesday’s protests were sparked by an overnight vote in which lawmakers tentatively backed a bill that would limit the Supreme Court’s ability to override elected officials by a majority of 64 to 56.
Should the bill pass two more votes in the coming weeks, the court will be prevented from applying the legal standard of “reasonableness” to overturn the government.
Reasonability is a legal standard used by courts around the world, including in countries like Australia, the UK and Canada. A decision is considered unreasonable if a court finds that it was made without considering all the relevant issues or without giving relevant importance to each point, or that irrelevant factors were given too much weight.
Some Supreme Court justices angered the government this year by applying the standard Stop Aryeh Deri, a leading ultra-Orthodox politician, was prevented from becoming cabinet minister. The judges said it was inappropriate to appoint Mr Deri as he had recently been convicted of tax fraud.
Although there are other ways for the court to limit government decisions, opponents of the bill say it would remove one of the key means by which judges can protect the country from corruption and autocracy.
A growing number of military reservists, who play key roles in the Army and Air Force, have said they will refuse to volunteer for duty as the overhaul progresses.
Larger protests were planned for Tuesday evening in front of the President’s Office in Jerusalem and the US Embassy branch in Tel Aviv.
While President Biden was critical of the redevelopmentIsraeli opposition figures say the US government should take an even tougher stance.
Myra Noveck contributed to reporting from Jerusalem.
