Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged both sides involved in the judicial reform debate to refrain from violence, taking the opportunity of the Jewish fast today, Thursday, to call for reconciliation, while protesters plan to escalate their demonstrations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans and his right-wing government have sparked unprecedented protests over the past months, causing a deep divide in Israeli society and affecting the willingness of some reserve soldiers in the military.
The crisis, which entered its seventh month, escalated on Monday after the parliament approved the first amendment that reduces the Supreme Court's powers over its ruling religious-nationalist coalition. Supporters and opponents of the judicial reforms halted their protests on Tisha B'Av, a holiday commemorating the destruction of two ancient Jewish temples in Jerusalem, traditionally blamed for internal strife.
President Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role in Israeli politics, stated on Facebook, "I urge everyone: even when the pain peaks, we must set limits on the conflict and refrain from violence and actions that have irreversible consequences." He added, "We need to envision our life together here 40, 50, and 100 years from now, and how every step will affect our children and grandchildren and the bridges between us."
Political monitoring groups have urged the Supreme Court to annul the new law, setting the stage for a confrontation with the authorities when it hears arguments and justifications in September. The legal battle will begin early next Thursday when the Supreme Court reviews a challenge against a coalition bill approved in March that outlines the conditions for dismissing the Prime Minister from office.
In another related confrontation regarding previous disputes, the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for September 7 in a case brought by a political monitoring group against the government for failing to form a committee to select judges, which Netanyahu's reforms aim to expand. Despite a long list of vacant judicial positions, Justice Minister Yariv Levin refuses to convene the committee in its current form.
The plans have harmed the economy and sparked warnings from credit agencies, prompting foreign investors to retreat. Protest leaders claim an increasing number of reserve soldiers have decided to refuse service as a means of expressing opposition. The army acknowledged a rise in requests to refrain from service, indicating that this could gradually harm readiness for war if such refusals continue.
Protesters stated that they would emerge again in large numbers once the fasting ends at sunset. They accuse Netanyahu of working to limit the independence of the court while he seeks to prove his innocence in a corruption trial. They also accuse him of altering the justice system according to a unilateral vision at the expense of once-dominant secular liberals. A poster shared on social media by protest leader Shikma Brizler read "The government is illegitimate," accompanied by a Roman-era image depicting the looting of the temple.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on those in power to respond to the protestors' appeals, whom he said are defending human rights and "the democratic space and constitutional balance that has been painstakingly established in Israel over decades." Netanyahu argues that the reforms are necessary to balance powers and describes the protests as an attempt to thwart the mandate he received democratically. In an interview with Good Morning America on ABC News, Netanyahu noted that there must be a national consensus on the reforms, which he will strive to achieve. He added, "There is a compromise, and I hope we can reach it."
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque to commemorate the destruction of the temple. A previous visit by Ben Gvir to the site incited anger among Palestinians and the Islamic world. The Al-Ayyash Battalion, an affiliate of Hamas, announced that it launched a rocket from the occupied West Bank at Israel in response. It stated, "Our Mujahideen in Al-Ayyash Battalion, with God's help, were able to shell the settlement of Ram On in the Jenin area with a Qassam-1 rocket."
The Israeli army reported that security forces discovered the remains of a makeshift rocket and neutralized it near the town of Silat al-Harithiya, close to Jenin in the northern West Bank. Social media videos showed dozens of Jews visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli police. The police stated they arrested 16 of them "for violating visit rules," referring to the ban on non-Muslim prayers at the site.
Hamas condemned what it described as "widespread and ongoing incursions since this morning by settlers and ministers in the enemy's Israeli government." It added that this constitutes a "serious escalation in the religious war waged by the occupation against Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque." The Palestinian health ministry reported that Israeli forces shot dead Palestinian child Fares Sharhabil Abu Samra (14 years old) during clashes that erupted when the Israeli army entered the Palestinian city of Qalqilya. The Israeli army stated that it is verifying these reports.
