Several major Israeli newspapers appeared on Tuesday morning with completely black front pages. This is a response to the adoption of the extremely controversial law “repeal of the standard of reasonableness”.
The black pages read in white letters: “Black day for Israeli democracy.” At the top is written “advertisement” in small letters. The black pages were paid for by the Israeli High-Tech Protest Movement, a group of representatives of high-tech companies, including CEOs, self-employed entrepreneurs and ordinary high-tech workers.
The “fairness standard,” now repealed by the Netanyahu government, allowed Israel’s Supreme Court to overturn government decisions and appointments if they were deemed “grossly unreasonable.” Overturning this rule would allow Netanyahu to appoint or fire people at will without having to answer to the Supreme Court.
According to the opposition, it undermines hard-won democracy, and the package of new laws even opens up the possibility of a coup that could turn Israel into a dictatorship. The fear and expectation is that Israeli society will be further polarized by extreme appointments and legislative decisions – influenced by extreme nationalist coalition parties – and that Palestinians in particular will have to pay the price. The adoption of the law further fueled protests and unrest in the country.
Opponents of Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel have promised not to give up. Young people declared their refusal to serve in the army. Human rights defenders are asking the Supreme Court to declare the new law invalid. The ongoing political crisis could quickly escalate as the opposition refuses to resume talks unless progress on the law is halted immediately. This chance seems small. Israel’s largest trade union has already threatened a general strike.
Opposition to the reform has also reached Israel’s security sector, with the military protesting the bill and threatening more than 1,000 Air Force reservists to stop volunteering. After the bill was passed, former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called on military reservists “not to stop serving until we know what the Supreme Court will decide” on the law for the sake of the security of the state of Israel.
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The law’s passage also strained relations between Israel and the United States, with President Biden expressing concern and former US ambassadors calling for an end to military support. Washington is deeply concerned about the law’s impact on Israel’s Arab minority and the perception of Israel as a democracy.
If the Supreme Court finds the equity law itself unfounded and invalidates a law that strips the court of its own powers, it could trigger a constitutional crisis that pits the government and the court against each other.
Source : HLN
