Blogged from Democracy Now
We speak with two Israeli journalists in Tel Aviv after lawmakers in
Israel passed a highly contested bill Monday weakening the power of the
Supreme Court by preventing it from blocking government decisions it
deems unreasonable. The bill is part of a broader set of judicial
reforms pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that has
sparked months of unprecedented protests, which continued last night.
Journalist Haggai Matar says that while the Supreme Court “is not an
ally to Palestinians,” its rare rulings in favor of Palestinians are a
driving factor in the right wing’s overhaul, as well as decisions meant
to curb public corruption. Palestinian leaders have criticized both
Netanyahu’s government for pushing the judicial reform, as well as the
massive protest movement for not speaking up for Palestinian rights as
Israel continues its deadly crackdown in the West Bank. It’s time for
the U.S. to show Israel there are consequences for apartheid and
anti-democratic legislation, says Gideon Levy, columnist for Haaretz. “What kind of democracy can exist in an apartheid state?” he asks.
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