Baby Against Democracy

Baby against democracy

According to Iran Gate, Baby against democracy is pushing for judicial reforms amidst protests. Netanyahu’s government is depriving the Supreme Court of the right to block executive decisions that are deemed unreasonable. In protest against this decision, thousands of people took to the streets.

Therefore, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, defended the passage of this law on live television, which deprives the Supreme Court of the right to oppose government decisions that are deemed unreasonable. He justified it by stating that this action is actually a democratic step to rebalance the powers of different government sectors.

However, protests quickly escalated in Jerusalem, and thousands of protesters blocked the streets. The city experienced tense hours. A driver drove towards the opposition crowd and injured three people. The police tried to disperse the crowd with water cannons. At the end of the day, at least 34 people were arrested.

This law is a central part of judicial reforms that a large portion of Israeli society has been protesting against for 29 weeks. Despite the request of President Isaac Herzog for the government and opponents to reach a common agreement that would ease tensions, it doesn’t seem likely. One of the protesters told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, ‘I feel like this will be a long and exhausting struggle.’

Reasonableness in Israel

The new law was approved on the morning of July 24th with 64 in favor and 0 against, as the opponents of the law decided to leave the parliament in protest. This law revolves around the concept of reasonableness, allowing the Supreme Court to block certain government decisions. It is part of a comprehensive package of judicial reforms proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin in January.

According to the Israeli Democracy Institute, Levin’s proposal significantly weakens the country’s judicial system and gives unlimited power to the executive branch. On the other hand, supporters of this proposal have been convinced that the judiciary needs to operate within certain limits, as it currently has complete distrust and is much stronger compared to the executive branch.

However, this issue received significant attention in January when it was reported that Aryeh Deri, the leader of the extremist Shas party, was prevented by the Supreme Court from serving as Minister of Health and Country due to his conviction for tax evasion, bribery, corruption, and fraud. His appointment was deemed highly illogical, putting Netanyahu in a tight spot and forcing him to overlook giving responsibility to one of his strongest and most loyal allies.

According to Amir Fuchs, an analyst at the Israel Democracy Institute, the law and the rights granted to the Supreme Court created a balance between public and political interests, as the decision was evaluated as illogical, focusing disproportionately on political interests without considering public interests.

However, the opposition has previously stated that they want the same court to decide on the legality of this government’s action, thus keeping the potential for a crisis open.

Victory of the right-wing nationalist faction

While it can be argued that the current executive power is the most nationalist and conservative in the history of Israel, this recent event can also be seen as an indication of Netanyahu’s weakness in forming a coalition that has increasingly become a subject of controversy.

Ana Maria Bagaini from Hebrew University of Jerusalem writes that we are in a situation where it seems that the positions of government partners are becoming more radical every day. National Security Minister, Ben Gavir, who did not hide his happiness in front of reporters, said that Israel will be a little more democratic and a little more Jewish from today onwards, and we will be able to do more and more useful work.

On the other hand, Ben Gavir is actually a symbol of Netanyahu’s government’s leanings towards the right. After years of being on the sidelines of the political system due to his extremist beliefs and party, the Jewish Power has finally become a fundamental pillar in the current executive apparatus. He even threatened to withdraw his support for the approved budget law, which forced Netanyahu to allocate a yearly budget of 34 billion euros for extremist Orthodox institutions.

He also requested a budget of 62 million euros for 2024 to increase resources for his ministry. Granting these requests led to an increase in the budget, with a ceiling of about 249 billion euros. This budget allocation for financing government projects angered many opponents and sparked severe criticism.

Israel’s encounter with civilizations

The increasing penetration of parties like Jewish Power or Judaism Torah United has caused concerns among secular Israelis. Mirah Lapidoth, a museum curator in Tel Aviv, told The New York Times that she feels they are plundering us, as if the country belongs to them and everything in this country is theirs.

According to Yedidia Stern, a legal scholar who is trying to achieve reconciliation and compromise with opponents regarding a recently passed law, the controversy over judicial reforms can be seen as a symbol of a severe lack of trust between different sectors of Israeli society. Stern described his country to The New York Times, saying that four majorities coexist and have a common life: nationalist religious Jews, ultra-Orthodox Jews, secular Jews, and Arabs.

In the current executive power, only the first two groups are in power, and this has led liberal and secular Israelis to believe that the balance that existed before is being destabilized. Even countries that are historically close to Israel are also concerned about this trend. A few hours after the approval of this law, US President Joe Biden made a brief statement expressing regret and emphasized that he, like his government, believes that major changes should be achieved through maximum consensus.

According to analysts, the July 24th vote is a significant turning point for Israel and the judicial review process of the Netanyahu government. Canceling the reasonable cause clause is one of the topics under discussion for reforms, which in fact provides new opportunities for the executive power. These opportunities include reinstating Aryeh Deri, the leader of the religious Shas party, to his ministerial position, as well as passing a new law that guarantees exemption from military service for extremist Orthodox individuals.

These cases, along with other changes, indicate that the negotiations with the opposition in March were doomed to failure. The only remaining image is a government that is moving forward on a path of reforms without any fear or concern, which undermines social fabric and deeply changes the institutional structure of the country.

Netanyahu delays the proposed judicial changes in Israel.

Israel’s highest court will consider legal challenges to a law that diminishes its authority.