Netanyahu rejects offer of settlement, crisis deepens in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected a compromise offer aimed at resolving an impasse over his plans to overhaul the country’s judicial system. President Isaac Herzog offered the deal to Netanyahu in a televised address. He took this step amid more than two months of protests in the country against the Netanyahu government’s proposal to change the judicial system.

Herzog said that he had held extensive consultations with various sections of society, which concluded that an agreement was necessary to preserve Israel’s existence. The president cautioned, “Whoever thinks that a real civil war of human life is a line we will never reach, has no idea that we have come very close to that dreadful state.”

However, Netanyahu took no time in turning down Herzog’s offer. Talking to reporters at the airport before boarding a flight to Germany, he said, “Unfortunately, the coalition partners did not agree to the provisions that the President put forward in the agreement. And the core elements of his proposal only maintain the status quo and do not strike the necessary balance between the branches. This is an unfortunate truth.”

Netanyahu’s plan to reform the judicial system would give Israel’s parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions and appoint judges. The Netanyahu government argues that the long-pending provision aims to reduce the widespread influence of judges. However, Netanyahu’s critics say that this provision will prove to be helpful in establishing the monopoly of Netanyahu and his government on power. Critics also allege that Netanyahu, who is facing corruption, has introduced this proposal to avoid the clutches of the law.

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