Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu defends his reform of the judiciary despite the strong popular protest

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to carry out his reform of the judiciary despite strong popular protest. AP - Maya Alleruzzo

Text by: RFI Follow

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Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to carry out his reform of the judicial system while the street formally rejects this text, which it believes aims to weaken justice, in favor of politics. In a speech Thursday night, Israel's prime minister pledged "to end division."

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With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Sami Boukhelifa

Until then, Benjamin Netanyahu had remained on the sidelines of this issue, leaving his government to carry out this reform of justice. He now seems to have changed his position. He is stepping into the arena and is now defending, at all costs, this reform of justice. Why did you not act sooner? He answers this question: "Because my hands were tied.

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Indeed, the Israeli Prime Minister is indicted in three criminal cases, including corruption. Attacking justice, trying to weaken it through reform, while being in the dock, this constitutes a conflict of interest. Benjamin Netanyahu admits that he feared being incapacitated and removed from office.

The adoption of a tailor-made text for the Prime Minister

So what has changed so that he can now act freely? His coalition, majority in Parliament, adopted for him, Thursday, a tailor-made text. Now, in Israel, only the incumbent prime minister can declare himself unfit to perform his duties, in case of physical or mental problems. The government can also trigger this incapacity procedure, but this requires the vote of three-quarters of the ministers.

Benjamin Netanyahu is thus taking cover. Straight in his boots, he is fully committed to carrying out his judicial reform project, and brushes aside popular demands.

► READ ALSO: Israel: the compromise proposal of Isaac Herzog on the judicial reform rejected by the government

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Read on on the same topics:

  • Israel
  • Benjamin Netanyahu
  • Justice
  • Corruption