AP explains Israel's judicial overhaul vote

Описание: (24 Jul 2023)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 24 January 2023
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SOUNDBITE (English) Josef Federman, AP News director for Israel, Palestinian territories, and Jordan:
“Israel’s government has passed the first major law in Prime Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu controversial plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system. The parliament approved the plan today unanimously after the opposition stormed out of the chamber. Netanyahu and his allies have proposed a series of laws they say are needed to reduce the influence of the country’s judges. They say that the judges are unelected and they wield too much power over the government’s decision making. Now, there are opponents and there are many opponents who say that the judges play a critical role. They provide oversight and an important counterweight to the government's decisions. Now, for over seven months, thousands of people have been taking to the streets and demonstrating against this plan. These include business leaders, former military commanders and many members of Israel's middle class, the secular middle class. Perhaps most critically, from the government's perspective, thousands of military reservists and that includes fighter pilots, say that they're going to stop reporting for duty, if this if these laws go into effect. That's raised concerns that Israel's own security interests could be weakened if the plan goes ahead. In the meantime, Netanyahu and his allies, they are celebrating today's victory. They say this is just the first step and they're promising to approve additional laws in the coming months. The opposition movement, in the meantime, has already taken to the streets. We can expect to see even larger and more intense protests in the coming hours and the coming days. So, these divisions within Israeli society are just likely to deepen. I'm Joe Federman, the AP's news director in Jerusalem."
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STORYLINE:
Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to curb the powers of the country’s justice system despite massive protests, AP's news director in Jerusalem Josef Federman, explains.

The vote came after a stormy session in which opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” and then stormed out of the chamber. Mass demonstrations erupted outside the parliament building in Jerusalem and in central Tel Aviv after the vote.

“For over seven months, thousands of people have been taking to the streets and demonstrating against this plan. These include business leaders, former military commanders and many members of Israel's middle class, the secular middle class”, Federman said.

Monday’s vote reflected the determination of Netanyahu and his far-right allies to move ahead with the plan, which has tested the delicate social ties that bind the country, rattled the cohesion of its powerful military.

“Thousands of military reservists and that includes fighter pilots, say that they're going to stop reporting for duty, if this if these laws go into effect. That's raised concerns that Israel's own security interests could be weakened if the plan goes ahead”, Federman added.

The overhaul calls for sweeping changes aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions to changing the way judges are selected.

Netanyahu and his allies say the changes strengthen democracy by limiting the powers of unelected judges and giving elected officials more powers over decision making.




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