ISRAEL

Netanyahu airlifted to airport after protesters block road


 

TIA GOLDENBERG
Thu, March 9, 2023

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to be airlifted on Thursday to the country's main international airport for an official overseas trip after throngs of cars and protesters prevented him from driving there.

The demonstrations were part of nationwide protests underway for more than two months against Netanyahu and his government's contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Demonstrators had made blocking Netanyahu's route to the airport a centerpiece of their efforts, and the the optics of the Israeli leader having to make alternate travel plans were a win for the protest movement.

The helicopter ride, far from the snarling traffic triggered by the protest, was also sure to deepen Netanyahu's reputation as being out of touch with Israelis at a time when the country finds itself torn apart over the government plan and the economy is slowing.

Thursday's disruptions also disrupted a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, whose schedule was rearranged to keep his engagements close to the airport.

Austin briefly waded into the Israeli domestic turmoil during a news conference, where he repeated President Joe Biden's recent comments that the “genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions, on checks and balances and on an independent judiciary.”

He also noted that Biden had stressed the need for “building consensus for fundamental changes.”

The protesters, launching a “day of resistance to dictatorship,” descended on the country's main international airport waving Israeli flags and blocking the road leading to the departures area with their cars.

Elsewhere, protesters blocked main intersections and scuffled with police in the seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv and other cities. A small flotilla of paddleboards and kayaks tried to close off a main maritime shipping lane off the northern city of Haifa. Some protesters barricaded the Jerusalem offices of a conservative think tank helping to spearhead the judicial changes.

“Israel is on the verge of becoming an autocratic country. The current government is trying to destroy our democracy, and actually destroy the country,” said Savion Or, a protester in Tel Aviv.

The uproar over Netanyahu's legal overhaul has plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises. Beyond the protests, which have drawn tens of thousands of Israelis to the streets and recently became violent, opposition has surged from across society, with business leaders and legal officials speaking out against what they say will be the ruinous effects of the plan. The rift has affected Israel's military, which is seeing unprecedented opposition from within its own ranks.

Later Thursday, the military said it suspended a pilot, identified in Israeli media as Col. Gilad Peled, until further notice, saying he had organized a pilots' protest.

“Unionizing to synchronize absence from service, though coming from good intentions, is forbidden,” said Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, Israel’s air force chief.

While some former top commanders have identified with the protesters, a group of 36 retired generals, including two former chiefs of staff, released a new letter saying the army must remain above politics and calling on reservists to show up for duty.

“We demand that discussion or acts of insubordination be avoided,” said the generals.

Netanyahu, who took office in late December after a protracted political stalemate, and his allies say the measures aim to rein in a court that has overstepped its authority. Critics say the overhaul will upset the country's delicate system of checks and balances and slide Israel toward authoritarianism.

Critics also say Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, is driven by personal grievances and that he could find an escape route from the charges through the overhaul. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, and says the legal changes have nothing to do with his trial.

Despite the demonstrations, Netanyahu and his allies have pledged to press ahead with a series of bills that would strip the Supreme Court of its ability to review legislation and give coalition politicians control over judicial appointments. An attempt by Israel's figurehead president to defuse the crisis through an alternative legal reform has so far been unsuccessful.

The protesters' main objective Thursday was to complicate Netanyahu's journey to the airport ahead of a state visit to Rome. Police, handing out traffic tickets as protesters held signs reading, “dictator: don’t come back!” said they would clear the demonstrators by force if they did not move. There were no immediate reports of serious violence.

Netanyahu, who met Austin before his departure, arrived to the airport in a police helicopter, circumventing the protesters, Israeli media reported. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment.

Regular flights were not interrupted, an airport spokeswoman said, although some travelers said they had to leave their cars behind the protesters' convoy and reach the terminal by foot.

Netanyahu told the Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview before his trip that the protests illustrated a vibrant democracy. But speaking to reporters before takeoff, he suggested the protesters were looking to oust him.

“The goal here is to topple a government that was elected democratically,” Netanyahu said. “We won't let anyone disrupt Israeli democracy.”

The police, overseen by ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, pledged to prevent the disturbances and said they had made some 15 arrests.

Protesters descended onto Tel Aviv's main highway, blocking midday traffic as mounted police and a water cannon truck hovered nearby. Police allowed the protesters to remain on the highway for over an hour but cleared it in some places by force ahead of afternoon rush hour.

Red billboards festooning the highway read, “resistance to dictatorship is mandatory.”

Critics say Ben-Gvir, a key ally in Netanyahu’s coalition government who has dubbed the protesters “anarchists”, is trying to politicize the police.

“We support freedom of expression but not anarchy,” Ben-Gvir told reporters while touring the airport.

Thursday's demonstration in Tel Aviv, the country’s business center and its liberal heartland, was not nearly as large as one last week, when police cracked down on what had otherwise been peaceful protests, lobbing stun grenades and scuffling with demonstrators. Those protests ended with Netanyahu's wife Sara being extracted from a ritzy Tel Aviv hair salon where demonstrators had gathered after catching wind of her presence.

Netanyahu and his wife have gained notoriety for enjoying lavish lifestyles and living off the largesse of taxpayers and wealthy supporters.

Some pundits questioned why Netanyahu was flying to Italy for three days at a time of deep national crisis, suggesting the couple were actually traveling to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Netanyahu's schedule includes a meeting with Italy's prime minister on Friday, but he does not return until Saturday night.

Thursday's visit by Austin, who is on a Mideast tour, was also affected by the protests. His meetings were held at the airport and he did not travel to the Defense Ministry, located in the central Tel Aviv area where protests have been focused.

Mounted police are deployed as Israelis block a highway to protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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Associated Press reporters Ami Bentov in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Ilan Ben Zion and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Israel Tensions Soar as Anti-Government Unrest Moves to Army


Ethan Bronner
Thu, March 9, 2023

Tens of thousands are protesting over the Israeli government’s move to cut the power of the Supreme Court, escalating tensions over a plan that’s sparked the biggest unrest in decades and seen army reservists threatening to withhold service.

The chief of the army expressed alarm over the warning from soldiers, while US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet his counterpart Yoav Gallant in a shortened visit near the airport rather than in central Tel Aviv to avoid the unrest, the Israeli defense ministry said.

There may be demonstrations in 20 cities across the country Thursday, according to plans released by organizers. Last week, confrontations between police and protesters turned violent in several areas. Water cannons were visible at several major junctions.

The upheaval has been building since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing coalition proposed handing the final say on the appointment of new judges to lawmakers and giving parliament the power to overrule high-court decisions. Opponents — mainly secular professionals as opposed to more traditional, religious Jews — see it as a threat to the Middle East’s most developed economy and democracy.

The shekel strengthened slightly by 11.44 a.m. in Tel Aviv, though has weakened 2.5% this year in part due to the unrest. There are reports investors are starting to move money out of the country, while Moody’s Investors Service joined other major credit assessors in warning of risks to Israel’s debt rating.

Netanyahu met Wednesday with President Isaac Herzog, who is seeking a compromise over the judicial overhaul. Demonstrators are taking to the streets twice a week.

“Certain cracks can form that will be irreparable in the future,” Herzi Halevi, head of the Israel Defense Forces, said after a meeting with reservist commanders. “Refusal is a red line, it should not be in the military protocol. It is unacceptable to discuss refusal, it is unacceptable to act on refusal.”

West Bank

The surge of domestic unrest has been accompanied by increased tensions in the West Bank. On Thursday, Israeli commandos operating near the city of Jenin sought to arrest what the army said was a cell of terrorists. The Palestinian health ministry said three were killed.

Some 78 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the year, the most for that period since 2000, according to the Palestinian health ministry. At the same time, 14 Israelis were killed in the West Bank, also the most in some two decades, according to the Israeli foreign ministry.

--With assistance from Gwen Ackerman.

Israel judicial reforms: Ex-Mossad chief Yatom warns of 'dictatorship'

Issued on: 08/03/2023 - 

13:08

THE INTERVIEW © FRANCE 24
By: Marc Perelman

In an interview with FRANCE 24 from Tel Aviv, former Mossad chief Danny Yatom expressed deep concern at the prospect of Israel becoming a "dictatorship". For weeks, Israel has been rocked by a wave of protests against a bill that would curtail the independence of the country's highest court. Yatom claimed the bill was an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "run away from the trial he is facing" on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Yatom also criticised Netanyahu's coalition partners for backing the legislation.

At least 70 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and 13 Israelis have died in attacks since the start of 2023. Asked if a third Intifada is under way, former Mossad chief Yatom said: "I don't think that anyone can answer precisely," but insisted Israel will continue to fight terrorism "without any limitation" and make sure its "people will be safe wherever they go, including the West Bank".

However, the Israeli government "should speak about what it intends to do in order to make the lives of the Palestinians easier", he added.

Yatom also regretted the events that took place in Huwara on February 26. In this West Bank town, Israeli settlers set homes and cars on fire, resulting in one Palestinian being shot dead and many injured. The rampage came in response to the murder of two Israeli brothers by a Palestinian.

"The government cannot allow the Israelis to take the law into their own hands (...) Such an event should not happen again because it encourages the extremists of both sides," he concluded.