Netanyahu says he s delaying overhaul to allow dialogue, but vows reform will happen | The Times of Israel
In a prickly speech Monday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was temporarily delaying his government s highly contentious judicial overhaul legislation to allow time for dialogue over the far-reaching reforms.
After immense public pressure that has seen 12 weeks of massive demonstrations, and, on Monday, the announcement of general strikes by the country s top labor federation and local councils, the prime minister said he was allowing for a delay to provide a real opportunity for real dialogue, but stressed that either way, a reform would be passed to restore the balance that he said had been lost between the branches of government in Israel.
The premier indicated the time out would last until the beginning of the Knesset s summer session, which starts April 30.
I wish I knew more about this. What is the role of the judiciary in Israeli politics? It obviously goes beyond interpreting the law. Does the judiciary represent sort of an independent and arguably balancing source of power for Israeli elites? That’s what it seems like but it would be nice if someone would explain. Does Netanyahu fear an actual civil war? That would be bad. But would it even be possible given Israel’s other enemies?