The President of Israel has warned that the bitter war through the courts of the country has brought Israel to the verge of the “abyss”, as he set a series of compromise proposals that were swiftly rejected by the government.
In a primetime speech on Wednesday, Isaac Herzog said that during the division over the controversial judicial overhaul carried out by the new government of Benjamin Netanyahu, he has heard “people from all sides, for whom . . . the thought of blood in the streets no longer shocks me.” “.
“Anyone who thinks that a genuine civil war, with human lives, is a line that can’t be crossed – doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” Herzog said.
“Today, in Israel’s 75th year of independence, the gap is within striking distance.”
Opposition politicians welcomed Herzog’s initiative. But in brief comments before boarding a plane for an official visit to Germany Wednesday night, Netanyahu rejected the president’s blueprint.
“The things proposed by the president were not agreed upon by the coalition, and the main elements of the proposal offered only maintain the status quo,” Netanyahu said. “This is an unfortunate reality.”
Israel has been in political turmoil since January, when Netanyahu’s right-wing, ultrareligious and ultranationalist coalition launched legislation designed to curb the judiciary’s powers.
The government has argued that the changes, which would give it control over the appointment of judges and limit the upper court’s power to overturn laws, are needed to rein in a highly activist judiciary.
But critics see the government change as a fundamental threat to Israel’s checks and balances that would give it unlimited power, undermine minority protections, and damage the economy.
In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest the plan, while reservists from across the military, including members of elite cyber, military intelligence and air force units, have threatened to stop training if it becomes law.
In an effort to break the impasse, Herzog, whose power is largely ceremonial, announced what he said was “the basis for a deep, precise and true discussion” between government and opposition politicians.
Unlike legislation proposed by the government, Herzog’s proposal would ensure that judicial appointments require a broad consensus from a panel in which neither the government nor the majority of judges are present.
The plan also leaves the upper court greater scope to block legislation. While it will not be able to override Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Law, it will still be able to block ordinary legislation. Unlike the government’s proposal, the parliament will not be able to reject the decision.
The basic law will be more difficult to implement, requiring a majority of at least 70 seats in the 120-seat Knesset to become law, rather than a simple majority.
Yair Lapid, chairman of the largest opposition party, Yesh Atid, said the president’s framework should be approached “with respect for his position”, and excoriated the coalition for refusing. Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party said it accepted the proposal “as a basis for legislation”.