After months of peddling the fictitious narrative that Israelis were overwhelmingly opposed to the judicial reform proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government—despite the majority backing for this move in the country’s elected parliament, the mainstream media looked the other way as hundreds of thousands rallied on Friday in support of the reform in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Netanyahu “Likud Party and its . . . coalition ally Otzma Yehudit have sponsored the event, which was branded as ‘The One Million March’,” Israeli news website Ynet reported. While the organizers of the rally placed the number of participants at 60,000, the Israeli media estimated the crowd at around 200,000.
The rally was addressed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who is regarded as one of the architects of the reform bill. “We need a court that protects soldiers, not terrorists,” he told the participants.
For months, the U.S. and European media have been amplifying the voices of the protesters, depicting their agitation against the proposed judicial reform as a last-ditch effort to save the Israeli democracy. Friday’s rally destroyed that narrative peddled by the media and supported by the Biden White House.
The rally “succeeded in putting to bed opposition claims that Israelis are united against judicial reform. It also provided much-needed backing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s beleaguered government,” the Jewish New Syndicate (JNS) news agency noted.
Unlike the angry anti-government protests staged by the Israeli left in the past, the people at the pro-reform rally appeared happy and prayerful, the media reports suggest.
The JNS reported the mood at the rally:
The pro-reform rally was different in tone from its anti-reform counterparts, which are grim affairs with warnings of pending dictatorship, clashes with police, solemn torchlit marches and women dressed as Margaret Atwood-inspired handmaids with heads lowered.This rally was boisterous, resembling a giant block party. Music pumped through large speaker systems. Protesters danced and sang. Strangers backslapped one another. It was festive. The optimism was palpable.
After months of protests organized by left-wing parties and groups, the rally-goers wanted to show that it was they who represented the silent majority.
“The negotiations are okay; but I don’t favor them too much. After the election, we are the majority, and the government has to go with our wishes,” a participant said according to the Jerusalem Post.
The rally “organizers sought to demonstrate that they represented the majority opinion on the issue, pointing to the overhaul efforts as an extension of the pro-Netanyahu bloc’s election victory, which allowed the Likud leader to form a coalition,” The Times of Israel reported Saturday.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend the Thursday event, but tweeted a message of appreciation to the participants,” the news website added.
The i24news reported:
Organizers called the rally the “March of the Million,” with the aim of showing popular support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and their judicial overhaul plan. The protesters descended on the parliament building, which is located across the road from the Supreme Court, as key lawmakers gave speeches in support of the reform. (…)More than a thousand buses were chartered to bring in protesters from across the country, organizers said. Berale Crombie, one of the organizers, told Channel 12 he expected 500,000.”On our bus network alone, we have exceeded 1,000 buses going to Jerusalem tonight,” he said. “Many more people will come by car or by public transport. We estimate that we will exceed half a million participants.” (…)”Make it clear that the people are demanding legal reform,” urged Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who spoke at the protest alongside right-wing lawmakers and other coalition ministers.”Without the reform we will continue to try to destroy terrorists’ homes and fight terrorism – and the High Court will say no. We will try to deprive terrorists of citizenship and the High Court will say no. The people of Israel yearn for a thorough overhaul of the legal system,” said Chairman of the Constitution Committee Simcha Rotman.
Last month, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced his decision to postpone the judicial reform for the time being, but he rejected the idea of abandoning the legislation. According to media reports, he is expected to table the bill during the upcoming summer session of the parliament.
The Israeli government froze the reform amid massive pressure from the Biden administration. Last month, President Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu to “walk away” from the proposed judicial reform bill, warning that he “cannot continue down this road.”
On Friday Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi revealed how the Biden administration continues to pressure Jerusalem. The Times of Israel reported:
National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi acknowledged Friday that the judicial overhaul is the reason that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been invited to the White House by US President Joe Biden.“Biden is constantly sending senior government officials here,” Hanegbi said, before an analyst on the television panel pointed out that all of those visiting had warned the Netanyahu government against carrying out its contentious plan to drastically weaken the judiciary if it wished to continue to share democratic values.
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