Protests Nationwide as Judicial Reform Bill Passes First Reading

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM – As news of the impending decision to pass a key element of the judicial reform package broke Monday night, protestors declared a “day of resistance,” with plans to demonstrate across the country. Protests broke out at major highways in Haifa, Yerushalayim and Modi’in, Ben Gurion Airport, and later on Kaplan Streets in both Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv. According to Channel 14, 71 people were arrested for disrupting community order; 45 of them were released.

In a 64-56 vote, the Knesset passed in its first reading a bill that blocks the High Court from ruling on the “reasonableness” of decisions made by elected officials. The vote was held early yesterday morning, following a raucous debate that saw protesters attempt to storm the plenum.

The reasonableness standard allows the court to overrule government decisions that it deems beyond the scope of what a responsible and reasonable authority would undertake.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara ruled that protests at Ben Gurion were legal as long as they did not interfere with the airport’s operations. “Ben Gurion Airport is a public space and therefore every person has the right to freedom of speech and protest in this place as well.” Two people were arrested at the airport for attempting to block thoroughfares.

MK Simcha Rothman of Religious Zionism, an architect of the judicial reform package, said “Despite the protests, we will continue with all of our strength.” Speaking to opposition members of the government, Rothman said “The members of the opposition are calling to burn the country, then they are calling to stop the legislation because the country is burning.”

“We had a challenging day today,” Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said in a statement following the protests. “Thousands of police officers were deployed throughout the country from the morning hours and we dealt with over 100 protest centers. To my delight, we managed to maintain the freedom of protest and maintained the balance between freedom of protest and freedom of movement. Not a single flight was late to take off and not a single passenger was delayed. We also managed to preserve the emergency route.”

Sources close to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that he is determined to pass the bill in its second and third readings by the end of the summer Knesset session, which concludes in just a few weeks. Only then will he consider reopening discussions on a compromise.

Previous talks, mediated by President Yitzchak Herzog, collapsed weeks ago, prompting Netanyahu to press ahead with the first steps of his government’s judicial reform.

In a video statement released during the Knesset debate, Netanyahu defended the reasonableness bill, stating that it strengthens democracy without compromising the court’s independence or civil rights.

Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer hailed the bill, saying that it would “allow the government ministers to implement the policy for which we were elected.” He also called on the opposition to “behave responsibly and heed the call of the minister of justice to negotiate for the benefit of the State of Israel.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commented: “Sixty-four supporters against 56 opponents to the reduction of the cause of reasonableness. Tonight, democracy won.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, meanwhile, blasted the approval of the legislation. “The fight is not over. We will never give up on the values of the State of Israel,” he said. “Millions of Israelis will take to the streets tomorrow with the Israeli flag to say: We will not give up.”

In presenting the bill at the start of the plenum debate, Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman said: “It is balanced, responsible and significantly different from what should have been enacted. The clause of reasonableness is a clause that the State of Israel managed to do without for many years, and still during the dark years, believe it or not, the sun rose every morning.”

Justice Minister Yariv Levin stressed that “the government is not above the law. It must act only within the law. In accordance with the powers granted to it, with due process, without conflict of interest.

“Any action that is not carried out in this manner, and I emphasize — every action — has been and will continue to be subject to full judicial review. By the same token, the government also has powers and responsibility. It was elected to set policy and bring about its implementation.”

Levin invited Lapid to come to his office immediately after the vote to negotiate without intermediaries. Lapid responded that he would have accepted the invitation had Levin halted the legislation immediately.