Benny Gantz, head of one of Israel's largest opposition parties, announced on Monday that Israeli parties have made no progress towards reaching a compromise on the government's controversial plan to reform the judicial system, following a month of meetings. The government has temporarily postponed its scheduled reform plan, which would grant it control over the appointment of Supreme Court judges and enable the parliament to cancel legislation, after widespread protests.
President Isaac Herzog oversaw discussions among various political parties aimed at overcoming divisions. The government argues that the reform is necessary to rein in activist judges and restore balance between the parliament and the courts. However, Gantz, who served as defense minister in the previous government, stated that the talks are "not making real progress on any of the issues." He specifically referenced the crisis surrounding one of the key issues, the formation of a committee for selecting judges, which will appoint judges and will be controlled by members from the government camp under current plans.
With the Knesset returning from its spring break, Gantz said, "We have set out a number of principles, first and foremost, the judicial system will not be politicized. It has not and will not change." Defense Minister Yoav Galant warned that divisions within the military threaten national security and called for an end to them. These remarks prompted Netanyahu to dismiss Galant from his position, although he later reversed his decision following severe protests.
The government and its supporters expressed hope for reaching a compromise but pledged not to back down and organized massive counter-demonstrations. Netanyahu stated that he wants to reach "as broad an agreement as possible" in front of the Knesset on the issues that represent the "core of the dispute." A survey conducted by Channel 13 on Sunday revealed that only eight percent of Israelis want judicial reform to be a top priority for the government.
