Where Do We Go From Here? Part 2
The talk of judicial reform is not new in Israel. Starting in the early 1990s, the Supreme Court began to expand its understanding of its own mandate. This was at a time when the right wing was ascendant, and the left, who had been in power since the beginning of the state, felt that their way of life was in danger.
Perhaps it is due to my lack of Hebrew, but I do not remember this election being run on judicial overhaul. It was mentioned, but it has been a topic of discussion for a long time.
The truth is, the judicial system needs reform. The Supreme Court in Israel is perhaps the most powerful among western democracies, and this is mainly due to a lack of a defined role. This is because Israel has no constitution. There is no constitution because of many reasons, but one is that the Haredim don't want one. Why would you need a constitution when we have the Torah? This should have been a red flag 75 years ago.
The few right-wing protests supporting the reform accuse those who did not vote for the coalition of trying to steal their vote (wonder where they got that from). The funny thing is they are way off base. Poll after poll shows a solid majority (almost 70%) supporting changes to the judiciary. Most also think that such a monumental change needs to be discussed at length and have broad consensus. I was speaking to a friend who voted for Ben Gvir, and he also said the process needed to slow down.
Unfortunately, the coalition decided to go full steam ahead. As I mentioned before, perhaps this was a negotiating tactic, but I doubt it. From the beginning, I said that I hope there are four grown-ups in the Likud who will wake up, deny a majority and slow the process down. Fortunately, Yoav Galant, the defense minister, came out and said he believes the process needs to be put on hold.
Although the rallies against the proposed reform were getting bigger and more frequent, Bibi refused to slow things down. Prominent Jewish leaders, even Likud supporters, asked Bibi to slow it down. The members of Kohelet, an Israeli think tank that developed most of the proposed judicial changes, also asked Bibi to slow it down. Nothing happened.
Although the shekel was losing value and the anger was building, nothing would stop this until the reserve pilots took a stand. An entire squadron of pilots said they would not do reserve duty until the process stops. After them, many other units of commandos, cyber tech, etc., also refused to serve.
Yoav Galant, as the defense minister charged with keeping the country safe, implored Bibi to slow it down. The long-term damage it was causing would soon be irreversible. Bibi refused to listen. So, Yoav Galant made an unscheduled announcement that he would not vote for the reform if it was not discussed and had more of a consensus. He thought he had the support of three other Likud members, but two of them backed out, one of which was offered Galant's job.
This announcement had only one discernable effect. Bibi fired Galant.
Then all hell broke out. Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets (250,000-500,000). Teachers didn't go to work. Shopping malls closed. The airport was shut down, and the Histadrut, the country's largest union, called for a strike.
The country was going to grind to a halt. Then it was announced that Bibi would make a speech at 10 am announcing a pause in the legislature. By 2 pm, people thought it was a rumor.
What was going on?
It seems that Ben Gvir said that if Bibi pauses the legislation, he would bring down the government. Ben Gvir didn’t care if the fabric of society was coming apart, he wanted something.
So, Bibi gave him an army.
Then the process was paused.
To be continued…