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JERUSALEM – In a show of force, crowds of right-wing protesters gathered in Jerusalem on Thursday evening to support the Israeli government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary that has divided the country.
Most of the crowd were Israelis from the religious Zionist camp. Many say they want a more Jewish Israel that embraces traditional values rather than the liberalism espoused by the country’s old secular elite. These elites, according to the protesters, control the overactive judiciary, the mainstream media and the bureaucratic establishment.
All the families came from all over the country and the occupied West Bank using more than a thousand buses organized by the committee, and in private vehicles. The atmosphere was peaceful and mostly upbeat in what was likely one of the largest right-wing demonstrations in Israel in nearly two decades – a counterweight to months of protests by opponents of the overhaul.
However, despite the number of people selected – up to 200,000 people, according to estimates in the Israeli news media – the prospects for the government’s judicial plan remain unclear.
The Israeli Parliament is set to reconvene early next week after the spring recess, as government representatives continue to negotiate with members of the opposition parties under the auspices of Israel’s usual ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, in an effort to reach a compromise. The talks came after mass protests by opponents of the government’s plans to rock the country.
A month ago, before the recess, and with the country in political, social and economic upheaval, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would suspend his government’s campaign to gain more control over the judiciary until the summer session of Parliament, allowing time for dialogue. .
Critics say the plan would undermine the country’s Supreme Court, remove protections for minorities and undermine the country’s democratic character. Supporters say the changes are necessary to give more power to voters and their elected representatives and curb the power of unelected courts.
“We have felt all our lives that there is no democracy in Israel and the Supreme Court rules, no matter what slips are put in the ballot box,” said Yael Zilberstein, 36, an optometrist and mother of seven who came to the demonstration. with his family from the predominantly religious West Bank settlement of Beit El.
Ms. Zilberstein said she voted in November for the ruling Religious Zionist party. “But it’s pointless,” he said of the vote, because he expects the Supreme Court to overturn any decision the justices don’t like.
Organizers billed Thursday’s demonstration as the Million March.
Demonstrators filled the streets outside the Supreme Court and the Parliament building after the committee called on them not to allow the opposition to “steal” last November’s election or dismiss them as “second-class citizens.” The election returned Mr. Netanyahu to power, this time as the leader of the most right-wing and religiously conservative coalition in Israel’s history.
The rally drew a similar crowd to the anti-government protests that have taken place over the past 16 weeks. The protesters said they were there to support the government and urged them to go ahead with their plans for the trial – and not to be swayed by outside pressure.
“Don’t be afraid,” they shouted. Some walked past large banners displaying portraits of Supreme Court justices posted along the street.
The event was organized in part by members of the leadership of Mr Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party and other parties in the coalition, including some who attended, prompting commentators to say it was almost like a government protest against itself.
But many polls show that a majority of Israelis do not support the package of court proposals put forward by the government, and Mr Netanyahu has paused his legislative outburst in the face of unrest.
Pilots and other military reservists from the army’s elite intelligence and special operations units warned that they would no longer report to duty under a government deemed undemocratic. Some high-tech executives are beginning to transfer money overseas. And the main trade unions called a general strike, suddenly dividing much of the country.
Protesters on Thursday tried to send competing messages.
“We are showing it to give the government the power to do what it chooses,” said Omri Yitzhaki, a Likud supporter and system analyst from Jerusalem wrapped in an Israeli flag. “We’re afraid they’re going to give up.”
Keynote speakers at the rally included Likud justice minister Yariv Levin; finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party; and Itamar Ben-Gvir, national security minister and leader of the ultranationalist Jewish Power party.
Mr. Levin told the crowd that he thought it was possible to make judicial changes through agreement – eliciting some booing – but until now, the opposition refused to accept any of the government’s proposals. He then led the chant “People demand judicial reform!”
Mr Netanyahu did not attend the rally but sent a message of support. He said there was no deadline for negotiations, only the goal of reaching a consensus.
But with Parliament reconvening there, one of the most controversial parts of the rule – essentially giving the governing coalition the power to choose Supreme Court judges in a way that critics say will politicize the top court – is ready to be brought to the final vote. It could be done within hours, if the government decides to move forward.
The meeting opened with religious songs and prayers led by the rabbi. The leader of the ceremony and one of the main organizers was Avichay Buaron, a Likud member of parliament. In a recent interview, he said that Israel is at a crossroads and that the unrest that has engulfed the country is a “classic division between conservatives and liberals.”
The country, he said, was run by “a government of judges and a judicial bureaucracy.” And the delay that Mr. Netanyahu called, he said, was frustrating for the general public.
“It’s as if the victory at the ballot box means nothing,” he said. “People say, ‘What’s the point of going to an election?'”
But the social, religious and political divisions that are currently tearing apart Israeli society were visible on Thursday even within the government.
Ultra-Orthodox supporters of the judicial overhaul, whose political leaders are coalition partners, have largely stayed away from demonstrations. An editorial in an ultra-Orthodox newspaper on Thursday urged them not to participate, saying the ultra-Orthodox have a very different vision for the country than religious Zionists.
Myra Noveck contribute reports.
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