Yisrael Beiteinu President Avigdor Lieberman on Monday called on fellow opposition party leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to immediately abandon talks on a judicial overhaul, claiming that the talks are an exercise in serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s other political interests. aspect.
The former finance minister told Ynet that the talks are giving Netanyahu the political calm needed to pass the national budget. Furthermore, he claimed that from the beginning, “it was clear that these are not negotiations, these are blame games, and [Gantz’s and Lapid’s] Participation is legalizing something that is totally illegal.
“Who has seen Netanyahu’s interview with foreign press The past week has seen how important it is for them to emphasize that we are a democracy. Giving him that kind of legalization is a mistake,” Lieberman said. “His goal is to take over the Supreme Court.”
Talks between representatives of the coalition and the opposition in an attempt to build a broad consensus on judicial reform were launched at the president’s residence in March following the suspension of initial overhaul bills. The proposed piece of legislation, which would have given the ruling coalition the power to select nearly all judges while drastically curtailing judicial review, sparked public discontent, including mass protests, widespread strikes, an appeal by President Isaac Herzog and the sharp Stopped in the middle of the wave. Protests from business leaders and members of important IDF reserve units.
In his Monday comments, Lieberman also addressed recent polls that showed there was public support for the talks, adding that while he understood the sentiment, it was the role of politicians to lead.
On Thursday, the office of President Isaac Herzog Said The first round of talks on the judicial overhaul has been completed, following a meeting between representatives of the coalition, Lapid’s Yesh Atid party and Gantz’s National Unity party.
Demonstrators protest against the judicial overhaul in Tel Aviv on May 6, 2023. (JACK GUEZ/AFP)
An estimated 100,000–180,000 protesters on Saturday against the overhaul plan mobilized throughout Israel for the 18th consecutive week. About 7,000 protesters gathered outside the presidential residence in Jerusalem.
Speaking at a protest in Rehovot, Lapid said that “we will spare no effort to see if there is any chance of reaching a historic agreement that will be with us a hundred years into the future, but we will not let them just ” Stop for time to save your government.
The Leader of the Opposition said, “This government cannot hold talks at the President’s residence while condemning the High Court and sending goons on the streets.” “This government needs to remove all bills from the Knesset table and understand: there will not be a situation in which the coalition chooses judges for itself. It will not happen, it will not happen under our watch.”
Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid speaks during the ’40-signatures debate’ in the Knesset on May 1, 2023. (Jonathan Sindel/Flash90)
Gantz, whose opposition party has Recent polls have seen a huge increasetold protesters in Netanya that he hoped for progress in the talks, but that he would “re-evaluate” the talks if nothing happened.
“I’m not ready to be satisfied [only] dialogue, even though I was the first one to call for it. I want to see progress towards a solution, and if there is no progress, we will re-evaluate,” the former defense minister said.
Prior to the demonstrations, protest organizers called on Lapid and Gantz to quickly end their participation in the talks, saying that the discussions with the coalition were “a plot by Netanyahu to waste time trying to pass the budget.”
He said that if no solution is found in the coming days, then the opposition should walk out of the talks.
MK Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity Party, makes a press statement in the southern city of Sadrot on May 3, 2023. (Flash 90)
Saturday night’s protest came after protesters on Thursday committed an act of civil disobedience, including blocking major highways across the country. Activists demonstrated outside the homes of key cabinet ministers as well as the offices of state religious institutions.
While the coalition’s legislative program to rebuild the legal and judicial system has stalled, organizers are seeking to stem a decline in the enthusiasm of the protests, fearing the coalition could resume the legislation at any time. Is.
The government’s planned judicial overhaul has sparked widespread protests across Israel, with senior legal, SecurityAnd Economic Statistics warn the move will undermine democracy by removing a system of checks and balances and harm the country’s security and economy. Proponents argue that they are protecting democracy by reining in a worker court.
