Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is committed to reaching a compromise over a proposed judicial overhaul that has sharply divided the country, even as he comes under increasing pressure from elements within his government to advance the legislation.
Mr Netanyahu agreed at the end of March to delay a vote on a key piece of the legislation and engage in negotiations with the opposition until after Israel’s parliament, or Knesset, reconvened after Jewish and national holidays. The bill would have been the first piece of a broader effort to weaken the power of the Supreme Court and give greater control to elected MPs. The Knesset will reconvene this week, adding urgency to the talks with the opposition as the coalition can now advance pieces of the overhaul for the first time since negotiations began.
“We have a fundamental debate between us regarding the legal reform, but we are making an effort to solve this debate through dialogue,” Mr Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. “With the goodwill of both sides, I am confident that we can arrive at agreements, and I give this my full support.”
Mass protests against the legislation have continued weekly, drawing hundreds of thousands around the country. On Thursday, proponents of the overhaul, including senior members of the government, held a rally in Jerusalem, drawing an estimated 200,000. Israel’s population is about 9.3 million.
Read the article by Dov Lieber in The Australian (from The Wall Street Journal).