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Israel’s largest trade union group launched a multi-sector strike on Monday, joining a growing protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary – a plan that has faced unprecedented opposition.
The strike was called by the Histadrut umbrella group, which represents nearly 800,000 workers in health, transit and banking, among many other fields. Other sectors are also out of step, with local governments, which manage pre-schools and other essential services, as well as the main doctors’ union announcing they will walk out.
“Today we stopped everyone going into the abyss,” said Arnon Bar-David, head of the union group.
It is unclear whether the attack will prompt Netanyahu to halt the improvements. Universities across the country said they were closing their doors “until further notice,” as flights out of the country’s main international airport erupted in protest, affecting thousands of travelers.
Thousands of protesters gathered on Monday outside the Knesset with the aim of increasing pressure on the government.
In a tweet, Netanyahu urged protesters to refrain from violence.
A riotous night
The growing opposition to the plan came hours after tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the country in spontaneous anger at Netanyahu’s decision to fire the defense minister, who criticized the reshuffle.
Chanting “the country is on fire,” he set fire to Tel Aviv’s main thoroughfare, closing roads and others across the country for hours.
The reforms, carried out by Netanyahu and his allies in Israel’s right-wing government, have plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises. This has led to an ongoing and growing protest movement that has spread to almost all sectors of society, including the military, where reservists are increasingly coming out publicly to say they will not serve in a country that is approaching autocracy.
The crisis has drawn attention to Netanyahu himself, Israel’s longest-serving leader, and the lengths he has gone to to maintain his power, even as he fights corruption charges. The firing of defense minister Yoav Gallant at a time of heightened security threats in the West Bank and elsewhere appears to be the last straw for many.
Gallant has become the first senior member of the ruling Likud party to speak out, saying deep divisions threaten to undermine the military.
The president wants the bill to stop
On Monday, when the embers of the highway were cleared, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog urged Netanyahu to immediately stop the overhaul, asking the government to put aside political considerations for the sake of the nation.
“The whole nation is rapt with worry. Security, economy, society – everything is under threat,” he said. “Get up now!”
WATCH | Defense Minister sacked after talking about legislation:
Protests erupted in Israel tonight, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister for challenging a controversial plan to overhaul the justice system.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the crisis had brought Israel to the brink.
“We are never close to collapse. Our national security is in danger, our economy is collapsing, our foreign relations are at their lowest point, we don’t know what to tell our children about the future of this country,” said Lapid. .
“We have been held hostage by many extremists without brakes and without limits.”
The PM faces ongoing corruption cases
The development is being watched in Washington, which has close ties to Israel, but is unhappy with Netanyahu and right-wing elements of his government. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the United States was “deeply concerned” by the developments in Israel, “which further underscores the need for an urgent compromise.”
Netanyahu reportedly spent the night in consultations and intended to address the country, but later postponed the speech. Some members of Netanyahu’s Likud party said they would support the prime minister if he heeded calls to end the overhaul, but its architect, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a popular member of the party, said he would back down.
Netanyahu’s hardline allies pressured him to continue.
“We must not stop reforming the judicial system and we must not surrender to anarchy,” said Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The core of the review is the law that will give the governing coalition the final say in all judicial appointments. The government is also seeking to enact legislation that would empower the Knesset to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit legal review of the law.
Netanyahu and his allies say the plan would restore balance between the judicial and executive branches and end what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies.
LISTENING | The Rabbi spoke about the Israeli government:
Day 610:14 a.mWhy US rabbis are challenging their congregations to stop being spectators in the war over Israel’s future
Last month, Rabbi Sharon Brous delivered a sermon to a congregation in Los Angeles in which she spoke strongly about Israel’s right-wing government and proposed legislation that would allow the state parliament to overturn almost any Supreme Court decision. His sermon has sparked a heated debate in the Jewish community in the US and beyond about whether and how to participate in Israeli politics at such a crucial time for the country. Rabbi Brous explained why he stood up and what the response of his congregation was.
But critics say the legislation would dismantle Israel’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the ruling coalition. He also said that Netanyahu has a conflict of interest because of the corruption trial.
Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate affairs involving wealthy friends and powerful media moguls. He denies wrongdoing and rejects allegations that the legal review is designed to find a way out of court.
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