Paris Soir - Israel awaits PM amid protest, strike against justice reforms

NYSE - LSE

CMSC	0.29%	22.085	$
JRI	-0.15%	13.01	$
BCC	5.02%	76.06	$
NGG	0.33%	82.59	$
CMSD	0.31%	22.38	$
AZN	-4.01%	171.61	$
BTI	-0.03%	60.02	$
BCE	0.28%	21.38	$
RIO	1.16%	90.54	$
RBGPF	0.52%	67.35	$
GSK	0.59%	52.78	$
RELX	1.14%	32.44	$
BP	1.66%	39.2	$
RYCEF	1.95%	19.46	$
VOD	11.14%	14.72	$

Israel awaits PM amid protest, strike against justice reforms

POLITICS 27.03.2023

Israel awaits PM amid protest, strike against justice reforms / Photo: GIL COHEN-MAGEN - AFP

Israelis awaited a decision Monday from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a controversial judicial overhaul, as a general strike and mass protest spell the country's most severe domestic crisis in years.

Text size:

Tens of thousands rallied near parliament in Jerusalem after the strike was declared, following Netanyahu's decision on Sunday evening to sack his defence minister for dissenting over the reform package.

Facing escalating disputes within his hard-right coalition and mounting pressure from opponents to halt the reform, Netanyahu is expected to address the nation later on Monday.

Some 80,000 demonstrators joined the Jerusalem rally against the reform package, Israeli media estimated, while right-wing backers of the overhaul called on supporters to protest later on Monday.

"I call on all protesters in Jerusalem, from the left or the right, to act in a responsible manner and not act with violence," Netanyahu tweeted.

Israel's top trade union chief called a general strike over the proposed reforms, which would weaken the powers of the judiciary. Demonstrators have for months decried the plans as a threat to Israel's democracy.

"I am calling a general strike," Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David said Monday in a televised address.

"We have a mission to stop this legislative process and we will do it," he added, vowing to "continue to fight".

The Israel Medical Association quickly followed suit, announcing "a full strike in the health system" that will impact all public hospitals.

The stoppage was also affecting flights at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, where an AFP journalist saw multiple delayed departures.

Diplomatic staff were among those walking out, with Washington embassy spokesman Elad Strohmayer tweeting the Israeli mission "will be closed... until further notice".

- 'Tangible threat' -

Following mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv overnight, President Isaac Herzog pressed for an immediate halt to the judicial programme.

"For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel... I call on you to halt the legislative process immediately," Herzog said in a statement.

The government plans have sparked concern from Israel's top allies including the United States.

The White House noted that President Joe Biden had told Netanyahu that "democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship".

Netanyahu's government, a coalition between his Likud party and extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, argues the changes are needed to rebalance powers between lawmakers and the judiciary.

Yoav Gallant, the outgoing defence minister who had been a staunch ally of Netanyahu, called Saturday for a halt to the reforms, citing "a clear, immediate and tangible threat to Israel's security".

"The growing social rift has made its way into the (army) and security agencies," he said.

Moments after Netanyahu fired Gallant, demonstrators waving national flags blocked a central highway in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

- 'Mad reform' -

Israelis rallied outside parliament in Jerusalem on Monday, where demonstrator Keren Mimran said "everyone should strike today".

"We are calling on the government to stop this mad reform," the 57-year-old high-tech worker told AFP.

Despite the upheaval, Israel's national security minister called Monday on right-wing supporters to join a counter-protest in Jerusalem backing the judicial shake-up.

"Today we stop being silent. Today the right wakes up," Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on Twitter.

Israeli media reported the extreme-right minister held talks with the premier on Monday afternoon and was threatening to quit the government if the overhaul is put on ice.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the government "has undergone a hostile takeover by a messianic, nationalist and anti-democratic group".

The architect of the overhaul, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, said he will "accept any decision that Prime Minister Netanyahu makes" on the legislation.

Lawmakers are scheduled to vote this week on a central part of the proposals, which would change the way judges are appointed.

Netanyahu last week vowed to "responsibly advance" the reforms and "end the rift" they have caused.

In response, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Friday accused Netanyahu of "illegal" public intervention on the process of adopting the judicial reforms, citing potential conflict of interests due to his ongoing trial.

The premier faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust which he denies.

E.Roger--PS

Featured

Iran declares Hormuz strait closed, US military insists traffic flowing

Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed on Sunday while the United States insisted it remained open, after the confrontation over the vital waterway again sparked US and Iranian strikes.

Ukraine's Zelensky orders government reshuffle, new PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a major reshuffle of the government on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the heads of some law enforcement agencies.

Iran, US trade more strikes as fighting escalates

Iran said Sunday it was closing the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones at Gulf neighbours after the US carried out a new round of strikes as their conflict escalated.

Noosha Aubel and Potsdam: The trust placed in her has been squandered

Noosha Aubel: a €33.4 million budget deficit in the state capital Potsdam, around €500,000 spent on external consultancy, revised austerity plans at the expense of children – and a shameful case involving a severely disabled toddler as part of a nursery scandal: Noosha Aubel inherited some of these crises, but the leadership deficit is now entirely her own. A 72.9 per cent share of the vote is not a mark of leadership; it is merely a vote of confidence. Noosha Aubel (50) received an exceptionally high level of this confidence in October 2025 – and has squandered it in a surprisingly short space of time. The hope for a fresh start has given way to bitter disillusionment, which is by no means limited to political opponents. After just 100 days, observers were already finding no clear direction whatsoever; in June 2026, media circles openly reported on unsettled supporters, unilateral actions and a lack of majorities. The yardstick is simple: is Potsdam functioning better? Are the finances in order, decisions properly prepared and the most vulnerable protected? So far, the answer is: no. Potsdam wanted a fresh start. It got a mayor who all too often confuses management jargon with leadership and is unable to get a grip on problems in the state capital. Added to this is a shameful scandal involving a toddler with multiple severe disabilities, for whom Aubel is personally responsible, and which raises questions about morality and decency. It is particularly shameful that media enquiries are not being answered by the head of the press office at Potsdam Town Hall, Jan Brunzlow – even though Noosha Aubel has demonstrably been contacted personally. Instead of answering the questions posed in a transparent and comprehensible manner, Brunzlow, according to the available documents, is pushing for a ‘personal conversation’, thereby apparently attempting to shift the communication into a non-public, informal setting. Should this course of action indeed contravene the applicable obligations to provide information under press law, a fundamental question arises: Is Noosha Aubel fit to hold the office of Lord Mayor of the state capital, Potsdam?