“The abyss is within reach” – Israel’s President warns of civil war

There’s a real fire under the roof in Israel at the moment. This was now evident at the meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at which Scholz expressed concern about plans for judicial reform in Israel. “As close friends of Israel, we are following this debate very closely and – I don’t want to hide that – with great concern,” said Scholz. The US also urged Netanyahu to reconsider the reform, saying democracy is based on strong institutions and separation of powers.

For ten weeks now, there have been massive protests in Israel against the restructuring of the judiciary planned by the right-wing religious government, with numerous demonstrations at which the police at times cracked down. The usually highly polarized Israeli society has united in the demonstrations. The Guardian writes that there is also strong opposition from the ranks of the military reservists and the otherwise apolitical technology sector.

But despite pressure from the streets, the fiercely right-wing government – ​​which also includes ultra-Orthodox and, for the first time, far-right parties – has no intention of backing down. A compromise proposed by Israeli President Isaak Herzog was immediately rejected. This provided for weakening of the most controversial points of the planned reform. Herzog’s proposal would “perpetuate” the current situation in the country’s judicial system, Netanyahu said.

Now Herzog is worried about the future of his country. In a televised speech, he said: “The last few weeks have torn us apart. Israel is in the midst of a profound crisis. Anyone who thinks that a real civil war with real lives is a line we won’t reach has no idea.” The abyss is “within reach”.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also spoke out on Friday, asking the international community to isolate Netanyahu. “I urge the leaders of countries friendly to the State of Israel to abstain from meetings with the Israeli prime minister,” Olmert, prime minister from 2006 to 2009, told the AP news agency. “Those who are for the State of Israel should be against the Prime Minister of Israel.” The current government is “simply anti-Israel”.

Netanyahu describes the reform as necessary to restore the balance in the separation of powers: the judiciary in Israel currently has too much power. Critics, on the other hand, see the planned reform as an attack on the rule of law, because Israel has no constitution: instead, the basic laws function as such. The role of the Supreme Court is therefore all the more important, since it is up to it to rule on their constitutionality. For example, the Court of Justice can currently overrule laws passed by Parliament if it deems them discriminatory.