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Thousands protest against new Israel law expanding control over judicial appointments

Thousands protested  Thursday after Israel’s parliament passed a law expanding the power of politicians over the appointment of judges pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.The approval came with Netanyahu’s coalition, the most right-wing in Israeli history, locked in a standoff with the supreme court after the premier began proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and announced the sacking of Ronen Bar, head of the internal security agency.Protesters rallied against the law on Thursday evening, with critics saying it was a “catastrophe” and a “nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy”, while the opposition swiftly filed a petition with the supreme court challenging the legislation.”The government wants us to forget about the hostages, wants to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet … but they do not have the power to do so if we stand united like a wall,” said retired major general Noam Tibon in a speech at a Tel Aviv protest.The law was approved by a vote of 67 in favour and one against, with the opposition boycotting the early-morning vote. Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has 120 members.The overall judicial reform package sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel’s history in 2023 before being overtaken by the war in Gaza.According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to “restore balance” between the legislative and judicial branches.In his closing remarks ahead of the vote, Levin slammed the supreme court, saying it had “effectively nullified the Knesset”.”It has taken for itself the authority to cancel laws and even Basic Laws. This is something unheard of in any democracy in the world,” said Levin, the key architect of the judicial changes.Israel lacks a written constitution, but it has a number of Basic Laws which set out things such as human rights and the powers of the parliament.- ‘Catastrophe’ -Currently, judges — including supreme court justices — are selected by a nine-member committee consisting of judges, lawmakers and bar association representatives, under the justice minister’s supervision.Under the new law, which would take effect at the start of the next legislative term, the committee would still have nine members: three supreme court judges, the justice minister and another minister, one coalition lawmaker, one opposition lawmaker, and two public representatives -— one appointed by the majority and the other by the opposition.Yair Lapid, leader of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, announced on X that he had filed an appeal with the supreme court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties, just minutes after the parliamentary vote.”Instead of focusing all efforts on their (Israeli hostages in Gaza) return and healing the divisions within the people, this government is returning to the exact legislation that divided the public before October 7,” Lapid said in his post.”The amendment passed by the Knesset is another nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy,” said Eliad Shraga, head of Israeli NGO the Movement for Quality Government in Israel and one of the petitioners against the law.”This is a calculated attempt to take control of the judicial system and turn it into a tool in the hands of politicians,” he said in a statement.Claude Klein, a public law expert at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, said enactment of the law would be a “catastrophe”.”They want to take real power. Netanyahu thinks that the supreme court is keeping him from running the country his way,” he told AFP.- New protests -The government’s judicial reforms package, first unveiled in early 2023, triggered massive weekly street protests that polarised Israeli society.Netanyahu’s detractors warn the multi-pronged package could pave the way for authoritarian rule and be used by the prime minister to quash any possible convictions against him in his ongoing corruption trial, an accusation the premier denies.Rallies have again erupted in key cities and on Thursday thousands protested against the new law.”You will be the ones that save the State of Israel”, former Israeli police chief and Netanyahu critic Roni Alsheikh told crowds protesting in Jerusalem.Netanyahu slammed the opposition in parliament on Wednesday.”Perhaps you could stop putting spanners in the works of the government in the middle of a war. Perhaps you could stop fuelling the sedition, hatred and anarchy in the streets,” he said.

Trump’s auto tariffs spark global outcry as price hikes loom

World powers on Thursday blasted US President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on imported vehicles and parts, urging retaliation as trade tensions intensify and price hikes appear on the horizon.Major car exporter Germany called for a firm response from the European Union, while Japan said it “will consider all options.”Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday …

Trump’s auto tariffs spark global outcry as price hikes loom Read More »

US judge orders Trump admin to save ‘Signalgate’ chat

A US judge ordered Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday to preserve messages from a chat group used by top national security officials to discuss plans for an attack on Yemen’s Huthi rebels.The ruling adds to the pressure on the White House after the Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor had been accidentally added to the group on the commercially-available Signal app.Republican Trump has dismissed the scandal as a “witch-hunt” while attacking the Atlantic and its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who broke the story earlier this week.District Judge James Boasberg — who has already incurred Trump’s wrath after ruling against the administration in a separate migration case — said he would order the government to “preserve all Signal communication between March 11 and March 15.”He also ordered the government to file details by Monday showing the steps it had taken to preserve the messages.The dates cover the period between when National Security Advisor Mike Waltz set up the chat — and mistakenly added Goldberg — and the day of deadly US airstrikes on the Iran-backed Huthis.The Atlantic said that Waltz had set some of the Signal messages to disappear after one week, and others after four. “That raises questions about whether the officials may have violated federal records law,” Goldberg wrote.The magazine published the full chat on Wednesday, including sensational messages in which Hegseth revealed the timings of strikes hours before they happened and details of planes and missiles used.Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target “walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”Trump has largely pinned the blame on Waltz — saying he had admitted he was “responsible” — while denying that any classified material was shared in the group.But he has also dismissed calls by Democrats for top officials to resign and insisted instead on what he called the success of the raids on the Yemeni rebels.- ‘Mistake’ -Trump had also launched a fresh attack on Boasberg the night before the latest ruling, saying it was “disgraceful” that he was dealing with the Signal case and calling the judge “highly conflicted.”The president earlier this month called for Boasberg to be impeached after the judge barring the administration’s use of an obscure wartime law to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.Pressure continues to mount on the White House over “Signalgate,” however.The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee issued a bipartisan call on Thursday for a Pentagon watchdog to probe the claims in the Atlantic.”If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information,” said a letter from Republican committee chair Roger Wicker and ranking Democrat Jack Reed.Democrats have claimed that the lives of US service members could have been put at risk by the breach, and the row has raised serious questions about potential intelligence risks.Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the prospect of a watchdog investigation “doesn’t bother me.”White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that “we have never denied that this was a mistake” and insisted that Waltz had taken “responsibility.”- ‘Successful mission’ -US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that the breach was unlikely to face a criminal investigation.”It was sensitive information, not classified, and inadvertently released, and what we should be talking about is that it was a very successful mission,” Bondi told a news conference.Washington has vowed to use overwhelming force against the Huthis until they stop firing on vessels in the key shipping routes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with the rebels threatening to resume attacks in protest over the Gaza war.The Huthis said Thursday they had targeted an Israeli airport and army site as well as a US warship, soon after Israel reported intercepting missiles launched from Yemen.