Political crisis in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged to halt justice reform
Israel is at the centre of one of the worst internal crises in its history as government plans to change the way the judiciary operates have brought people out into the streets, international media reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being urged to halt his government's controversial plans to overhaul the judiciary after a decision to sack the defence minister, who opposed the reforms, sparked mass protests across the country on Sunday night.
On Monday, flights at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport were suspended as workers went on strike. Meanwhile, employees at Israel's largest port, Haifa, have also joined the strike, according to media reports. A passenger plane, which was due to take off last night for Chisinau, is still stuck in Tel Aviv.
The Israeli press reports that the Prime Minister is expected to announce on Monday the end of the reform of Israel's Supreme Court, which is contested by citizens. Protesters are unhappy with the government's decision to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court. They also disagree that the government should have a decisive say in the appointment of judges, including to the Supreme Court. In essence, the changes would give the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and therefore the ruling parties, greater control over Israel's judiciary.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant asked on Saturday night for a month's postponement of the government's judicial reform, but his request served as grounds for his dismissal on Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This brought thousands of protesters to the streets. In Tel Aviv, protesters blocked a highway and lit fires in the street. Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, reacted on Monday with repeated calls to the government to find a compromise solution that would not allow the crisis to deepen.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Israel for months to protest sweeping changes to the legal system, which some say threaten the country's democratic foundations.
