Israel- January 2023

A month into office, Benjamin Netanyahu’s  new government  has pursued numerous policies that have been met with nationwide anti-government protests. In one of the largest protest movements ever seen in Israel, more than 100,000 people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on 21 January against PM Netanyahu chanting ‘No to dictatorship’ and ‘Democracy.’ Protestors have particularly reacted to the proposed judicial reforms package that would politicise the Supreme Court and limit its powers. Many analysts fear these changes could foster corruption, set back minority rights, and could lead to an institutional crisis and erosion of democracy. Other proposed legislation includes a bill that would enable the removal of Arab-led parties from the Knesset for voicing solidarity with Palestinian victims of Israeli government actions.

Sources: Reuters, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Associated Press, Al Monitor

On 18 January, Israel’s Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of Aryeh Deri as Minister of the Interior and Healthcare. The Court ruled that Deri was ineligible to hold public office due to his prior criminal convictions of fraud and breach of trust for accepting bribes. The Court noted that part of Deri’s plea deal included his retirement from political life and that the appointment violated the principles of the rule of law. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently facing multiple corruption charges himself, insisted that he would not comply immediately after the ruling, Deri was nonetheless removed from the cabinet on 22 January.

Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation, Times of Israel