Keep scrolling the feed of the Times of Israel. [Those reading from abroad: we live a metaphorical stone’s throw from one of the “epicenters” and can watch some of these demonstrations from our balcony. Unlike some commentators from abroad, we are living this.]
After Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for having broken ranks with him, protests spontaneously escalated. Nothing violent —- but people in downtown Tel-Aviv dropped whatever they were doing and on foot headed down the on- and off-ramps of the Ayalon Highway and blocked it. Some even lit bonfires.
At previous demonstrations, blocking highways was pretty much the only thing guaranteed to bring on a swift and forceful police response. (A colleague of mine was arrested at one of these events, then quickly released.) This time, the police made no effort, likely in view of the mass of people.
Universities declared a national strike, then joined by other parts of the educational system. Mayors of several cities, including the hi tech hub Herzliya, about 10 km north of here, went on hunger strikes.
And now are coming multiple reports that key elements in the coalition are having second thoughts. All the while protesting their fealty to Netanyahu and the support for reform in general, such people as Economics MInister Nir Barkat and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli are now saying that perhaps a pause until after Independence Day (i.e., for about a month, including the week-long Passover holiday) is in order. There is also an unconfirmed report that Aryeh Deri is supporting a pause, with of course Yariv Levin threatening to leave the gov’t.
developing …
UPDATE: President Herzog has called for an immediate halt and a process of dialogue following it.
Netanyahu is set to address the nation “in the coming hours”.
YNet (in Hebrew) noted that while the firing of Gallant was announced by a terse message from the Prime Minister’s Office, Gallant has not been directly notified.
developing…
UDPATE 2: Arnon Ben-David, the head of the country’s trade union federation (the “Histadrut”), speaks to unprecedented joint assembly of his union heads and of various captains of industry and other representatives of the employers in public and private sectors. I am listening to his speech live in my earphones.
“This is the time we all together will return Israel to the path of sanity. This is not a question of left or right.”
“Enough! No more polarizing and setting one sector against another.”
“Under my leadership, the union has tried to distance itself from partisan politics.”
“But we cannot be silent any longer. If this passes, we will call a general strike.”
“We will continue to fight. We together have fought corona and it is behind us.”
“I call upon my friends, the prime minister, the ministers: STOP! The economy is tanking, enemies at the gates, and what are we fighting about? Appointments of two judges? ENOUGH!”
“Israel will come to a standstill, in cooperation between trade unions and employers.” (This is totally unprecedented.)
“It was not a simple decision, and I did eveyrthing to avoid it, but we no longer have a choice. Together, we will put the [train of the] nation back on the tracks it has slipped off.”
Netanyahu is supposed to speak in 20 minutes. He is rumored to announce a halt, but I will believe it when I see it.
And… Netanyahu speech again postponed.
Ram Ben-Barak MK (a former deputy head of the Mossad) is speaking on YNet: Not Netanyahu is the PM anymore, but his son who is dictating him what to say and do.
(10:55 am local) Netanyahu’s speech postponed again because apparently unable to convince faction heads, and “Religious” “zayin-ism” [sic] is threatening to leave the coalition and thus bring down the government.
(11:55 am local) Still no speech. YNet quotes former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin: “Netanyahu proved that he is unfit, he should go home.”
(12:59 pm local) Still no speech. Shopping centers closed, new roadblocks on Ayalon,… Unconformed reports that Ben-Gvir will quit the government but support it from outside.,
Labour submitted a motion to disperse the Knesset (i.e., to hold new elections).
YNet correspondent Attila Somfalvi, a Hungarian immigrant and self-defined “social liberal, otherwise right-winger” notes the contrast between the rational, focused Netanyahu he recently accompanied (as a correspondent) to Germany, and the delusional nonsense he spouts for public consumption — and speculates that his unhinged son Yair is effectively running his father. He rejects the notion that wife and children should be off-limits to public criticism “if the son is all the time on Twitter calling everybody a traitor to his father” because “he has nothing better to do with his time”.
Ynet headline: Minister of Immigration Ofir Sofer of the Religious Zionism party (i.e., Smotrich’s crowd): “Our failure to carry forward the reform obligates us to take responsibility”.
Now PM speech announced for 3PM
Labour leader Meirav Michaeli[*], for whom I have little respect, is now calling on people not to fall for tricks.
(2:30pm) Netanyahu calls on demonstrators in Jerusalem, both against the reform and in favor of reform (later tonight a support demonstration is expected) to refrain from violence and act responsibly.
Netanyahu meets with Ben Gvir; overhaul pause could be delayed to gauge right-wing rally turnout
Four hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to address the nation, he has yet to appear. Reports say he has summoned National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for a meeting amid the latter’s threat to quit the government if the judicial overhaul is halted, as is expected to happen.
Channel 12 news says some in the premier’s circle are advising him to wait to see if a right-wing rally called for 6 p.m. in Jerusalem garners a substantial turnout.
Several Likud MKs have been tweeting a poster for the rally — declaring “State of emergency… They will not steal the elections from us” — to encourage supporters to attend.
The ultra-conservative Har Hamor yeshiva has reportedly declared support for the rally and hundreds of its students are planning to attend.
As usual, they miscall “euro-right” radicalism “conservatism”. I am a conservative, and oppose the reform in its current extremist and hasty form because I’m a (Burkean) conservative, and believe in gradual, well-considered change.
3pm: no Netanyahu speech in sight — speculation that he is hoping that a “right”-wing support demonstration scheduled for tonight
meanwhile: update that he is currently meeting with Itamar the TikTok Clown.
3:07pm: Ynet quotes senior figures around Netanyahu to the effect that Washington has been updated that the controversial appoint pet judges law“judicial appointments law” will be stopped. If of course he makes another U-turn now, that will cost us dearly…
[*] Interestingly, a granddaughter of the controversial WW II figure Rudolf (Rezsö) Kästner
16:41 So is Netanyahu playing andandino (“Eenie-meenie-miney-moe”) or what? Meanwhile Yariv Levin has said he will respect the decision of Netanyahu, since he does not want a repeat of what happened to the last Shamir government — the downfall of which brought on the Rabin-Peres administration and the disastrous/misguided [depending on your POV] Oslo Process.
I suspect they would be singing a different tune if opinion polls (unreliable as they here often are) didn’t predict a drubbing for the current coalition parties…
16:51 Israel Our Home chair Avigdor Liberman tweets that all this announcing and delaying a speech is a tactic to weaken the protest and lull us asleep. Well, Liberman started his political career as Netanyahu’s cabinet chief, so he knows the dirty tricks he gets up to.
BREAKING: Ben-Gvir has agreed to a freeze of the “judicial overhaul” until the next Knesset session, which starts in May — citing promises by Bibi that the plan will be advanced through negotiations. As a sweetener, a civil “national guard” to boost public safety (we’ve had this in the past) will be approved and placed under his National Security Ministry.
ANALYSIS from Chaviv Rettig Gur.
20:05 Netanyahu now speaking
Comes with self-serving bull feces about how the extremists are all on the “anti” side.
But the vast majority on both sides does not want to cut the baby in two.
I will take a pause to give true dialogue a chance
I have decided to suspend the 2nd and 3rd readings of the law until the next Knesset session [i.e., after the Passover and holidays recess]
He praises the pro-reform camp and calls upon them to behave responsibly and not to give in to provocations
Wishes best for Passover and holidays
End of speech.
Histadrut calls off general strike
Opposition co-leader Benny Gantz (a former IDF Chief of Staff) welcomes suspension, “better late than never”
He calls on Netanyahu to sit with him at the President’s Residence and start a true dialogue, not make-believe
Spin, strangeness, and charm 