“Reasonability” law passed. Police mass against protesters storming Knesset
The law revoking the High Court’s power to disqualify decisions by elected authority – on the grounds of “unreasonability” – was carried on Monday, July 24 by 64 to 0. Opposition lawmakers were absent. Earlier, opposition leader Yair Lapid announced talks on a compromise version to soften the law had broken off. He assured the hundreds of military reservists, who vowed to abstain from voluntary service if the law was carried, to wait for the High Court which would surely overturn the measure as undemocratic.
After a four-day march to Jerusalem to disrupt legislation, tens of thousands of angry protesters held the House to siege after the law was carried. Police forces armed with water hoses massed at the Knesset entrances to keep the demonstrators seeking to storm the building at bay, including mounted officers. They made 19 arrests.
DEBKAfile reported earlier
Voting on reasonability curb for High Court began on Monday after the opposition rejected any compromise formula. This was the first parliamentary vote to be held on the government’s judicial overhaul program in the face of fierce, massive protests by tens of thousands of demonstrators, including reservist members of key IDF units. The session began with opposition leader Yair Lapid announcing that negotiations for an agreed formula had been broken off. He put the blame for the impasse on the government “with which no accord is possible.” He ordered opposition deputies to boycott the vote.
PM Binyamin Netanyahu has insisted on the Knesset going through with the first segment of the government’s legal reform program. He said there was time in the summer recess to hold a serious dialogue for consensus on the remainder.
The Knesset began voting Monday for the second and third readings of the government’s judicial reform bill which is designed to curb the High Court’s power to use the “reasonable” criterion for striking down its decisions.” This was the first parliamentary vote to be held on the government’s judicial overhaul program in the face of fierce, massive protests by tens of thousands of demonstrators, including reservist members of key IDF units. The session began with opposition leader Yair Lapid announcing that negotiations for an agreed formula had been cut short. He put the blame for the impasse on the government “with which no accord is possible.”
He ordered opposition deputies to boycott the vote. PM Binyamin Netanyahu insisted on the Knesset going through with the first segment of the government’s legal reform program despite the opposition at home and from Washington. He said there was time in the summer recess to hold a serious dialogue for consensus on the remainder of the reform initiative.
Monday morning, tens of thousands of anti-judicial reform protesters clashed with police when they tried to block Knesset entrances to deputies arriving for the noon vote on the second and final readings of the “reasonability” standar bill. Intense behind-the-scenes efforts to reach a compromise formula meanwhile continued. Two main opposition leaders were at odds over tactics. MK Benny Gantz favored a compromise, while MK Yair Lapid urged a tough stand against the overhaul. Heads of the protest campaign consistently demand the total ditching of the entire reform program, while constantly escalating disruptions across the country. Monday, some of the big retail networks shut their doors in solidarity with the military reservists who vowed to refuse voluntary duty if the legal overhaul went through. The PM decided to take part in the vote although his doctors ordered 48 hours rest after discharging him from hospital on Monday morning with a new pacemaker.
On Sunday, after 10,000 reservists from a number of military units joined the 1,194 reservist airmen in refusing to turn up for duty if the legal reform passed, chief of staff IDF Lt. Gen. Hertzi Halevi released a special message to the troops: ”They must realize,” he said “that without a unified and strong military, Israel’s very survival is in jeopardy.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant added his voice to the bid to delay legislation in order to calm the furious national debate and reducet its divisive impact on the armed forces. After its passage, the minister urged delaying its implementation until January.
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