Protestors clash with police outside Knesset ahead of crucial judicial reform vote

Chaotic scenes unfolded in Jerusalem early Monday morning as Israeli Police forcibly removed dozens of protesters who were blocking roads leading to the Knesset in Jerusalem ahead of a crucial vote on the first law of the government’s judicial reforms. 

Police used water cannons and force to remove the demonstrators, arresting dozens in the early morning hours.

Lawmakers were set to vote on the government’s “reasonableness law” at noon, which in its current form will prevent the High Court of Justice from striking down government decisions and ministerial appointments deemed “unreasonable.”

It is still unclear if the law, which been widely criticised for removing judicial oversight over government decisions, will pass on Monday, or if a compromise will be reached with opposition parties to water down the bill.

Two senior Likud officials told Jewish News on Monday that they weren’t sure if the law would pass on Monday.

President Herzog held marathon talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was still hospitalised on Sunday evening, as well as Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz in a last attempt to reach an agreement.

Herzog said he was still mediating between the opposition and government on Monday morning, calling the situation “a national emergency.”

“There is a possible basis for understandings, but there are still gaps that require the various sides to display responsibility,” Herzog said.

Both Gantz, Lapid and U.S. President Biden urged Netanyahu to halt the vote on Sunday to try and reach a compromise.

“From the perspective of Israel’s friends in the United States, it looks like the current judicial reform proposal is becoming more divisive, not less. Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this — the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” Biden told the Axios news site.

An Israeli business forum representing 150 of the country’s largest companies declared a strike on Monday in protest of the “reasonableness law”, calling on Netanyahu to “fulfil his duty, understand the scale of the disaster that may occur and immediately stop the legislation and enter into negotiation.”

Two duelling rallies were held on Sunday evening, with some 60,000 pro-reform demonstrators showing up on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, and roughly 60,000 anti-reform protesters rallying in Jerusalem at the same time.

Former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the anti-overhaul rally in Jerusalem, calling the unprecedented crisis in Israel “undoubtedly serious and real.”

“There is only one person who can prevent disaster from harming our country, and that is Binyamin Netanyahu. I ask Netanyahu, as someone who sees himself as a Jewish leader who is perhaps as great as Moses, to save this nation and prevent civil war. Stop the legislation!” Rivlin said.

At the pro-reform rally in Tel Aviv, several government ministers and lawmakers addressed the crowd via video link, with Justice Minister Yariv Levin saying: “Our hand is stretched out for understandings. But understandings also require the opposition to make concessions”

“The situation whereby only one side holds the key roles in the judicial system, that situation will not continue,” he added.

Over 10,000 soldiers in the IDF reserve announced last week that they will no longer show up for duty if the law passes, causing the IDF chief of staff to issue a warning about the damage to the military’s cohesion.

“If ours is not a strong and unified army, and if the best do not serve in the IDF, we will not able to continue to exist as a state in the region,” IDF chief Hertzl Halevi said.