‘Stop surrendering’ – Right-wing holds 1st-ever protest outside PM’s private residence demanding judicial reform

“Enough of the ceaseless concessions to anarchists and the opposition,” says right-wing NGO in blistering statement to Netanyahu, demanding passage of judicial reform.

By Adina Katz, World Israel News

Right-wing activists and supporters of proposed reforms to Israel’s judicial system are holding their first-ever protest in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea on Thursday night, following a coalition failure which saw a member of the Opposition granted a critical spot on the judicial appointments committee.

Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu is organizing the demonstration, which aims to pressure Netanyahu into fulfilling his campaign promises and coalition agreements to implement judicial reform.

“Enough of the ceaseless concessions to anarchists and refuseniks and the opposition,” read a blistering statement from Im Tirtzu, aimed at Netanyahu.

“Sixty-four mandates [worth of voters] demand an end to surrender. This is not how you get stability, this is how you get weakness and the inability to act.”

For months, Netanyahu has avoided votes on the judicial reform legislation or other other unilateral moves to move the effort forwards, as negotiations for a compromise between coalition and opposition parties have stalled.

On Wednesday, a crucial vote for two representatives for the judicial selection committee ended with the surprise approval of an opposition candidate and defeat of the coalition candidate, Likud MK Tali Gottlieb.

MK Karin Elharrar of the Yesh Atid party was chosen, with at least four right-wing MKs voting for her in order to pacify the opposition parties,who had threatened to stop the compromise talks should she not be selected.

However, because Gottlieb didn’t win enough votes, a second vote will be held in a month to fill the empty slot. This enraged both the opposition and coalition parties.

Opposition leaders froze the judicial reform talks, claiming that failure to select a second candidate was a stalling technique. Coalition lawmakers were irate due to a perceived victory for the opposition.

The results proved to be a breaking point for supporters of the reform, who noted that the coalition had enough votes to successfully elect their own candidate.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a video on Facebook, demanding that a vote for the second candidate for the judicial selections committee be held “immediately.”

Benjamin NetanyahuIm TirtzuIsraeli NGOsJudicial reform