Israel protests: Lloyd Austin jabs at Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul as demonstrators block airport

Tel Aviv, Israel
CNN
—

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticized the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuplans to weaken Israel’s justice system as protesters paralyze two of Tel Aviv’s main tourist arteries on Thursday, intensifying nationwide movement against controversial proposals.

A CNN team at Ben Gurion Airport saw people walking towards Terminal 3 with suitcases as the road was blocked during what is known as the “Day of Disruption,” while a separate protest in the city. Tel Aviv streets have seen thousands of people turn out in protest.

A group of pedestrian protesters blocked the Ayalon highway, one of Tel Aviv’s main thoroughfares, with some resisting the police’s initial efforts to clear it, a CNN group saw on Thursday. Year.

Protesters chanted “democracy”, “shame” and “Where have you been in Huwara?” at the police, referring to a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank that was the target of a violent riot by Jewish settlers nearly two weeks ago. The mounted police finally succeeded in pushing the crowd off the highway, clearing it.

The planned protests have overshadowed Austin’s talks with Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, talks delayed by a day at the request of Israeli officials concerned about the risk. interruptions from protests. The Pentagon said the meeting location was also changed from the Defense Department to a location near the airport because of the protests.

As protesters took to the streets, Austin emphasized the importance of an “independent judiciary” during a press conference alongside Gallant.

“As President Biden has said, what is unique about American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions – on checks and balances, and on a independent judicial authority. And the President also noted that building consensus for fundamental changes is really important to ensure that people agree to them so they can be upheld.”

Opponents of the government’s plan to give Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority have been protesting every Saturday night across Israel for the past nine weeks. The largest demonstrations, in Tel Aviv, regularly draw more than 100,000 protesters, in a country with a population of just over nine million.

The package of legislation would also give the government the power to nominate judges, a right now in the hands of a committee made up of judges, legal experts and politicians. It would remove power and independence from the legal advisors of government ministries, and strip the courts of the power to nullify government appointments.

Supporters of the judicial overhaul say the changes are needed to rein in the Supreme Court, which has become too powerful and democratically accountable.

Mr. Netanyahu said his meeting with Austin was “primarily focused on our joint efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” before boarding a flight to Rome to meet the Italian prime minister.

Austin also used his press conference to urge Israelis and Palestinians to reduce rising tensions in the West Bank ahead of the Passover and Ramadan holidays, which have been flashpoints of violence in the past. Austin said Palestinian leaders need to fight terrorism and condemn incitement while stressing US opposition to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Austin noted: “We are particularly concerned by the settlers’ violence against the Palestinians.

Secret Israeli Border Police forces killed three suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank on Thursday morning, just hours before Austin landed, Border Police announced.

A police statement said Israeli security forces were shot from a vehicle carrying out an operation to arrest two suspects, members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad army, and returned fire and killed all three in the vehicle. .

Israeli police said on Thursday night three people were injured when a suspected terrorist opened fire on pedestrians on a street in the heart of Tel Aviv’s nightlife. According to an emergency service, the gunman was “neutralized” by police officers and died.