Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday night to “end the division of the people” after nearly three months of mass demonstrations against a justice reform bill currently under consideration in parliament, AFP reported.

The Israeli prime minister spoke after a meeting with his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who initially announced his intention to speak publicly on Thursday night. The defense minister, who had repeatedly called on the ruling coalition to suspend the legislative process to allow talks with the opposition on judicial reform, eventually canceled his speech.

However, Israeli television mentioned for almost an hour the prospect of the minister’s resignation or the hypothesis of the explosion of the ruling coalition, one of the most right-wing in Israel’s history.

According to Israeli media, Minister Gallant and several security officials have warned the prime minister in recent days about the threats they believe the project poses to national security.

Netanyahu, who has not yet publicly intervened in the matter, announced Thursday night that he was “taking the stage” and that he was determined to advance the reform, but that he would do everything to “reach a solution” acceptable to both the project’s defenders , as well as for his critics.

His words only surprised opponents, AFP notes.

“We cannot allow a dispute, no matter how bitter, to jeopardize our common future (…) Opponents of reform are not traitors, supporters are not fascists,” he said, referring to each camp’s favorite invective against each other.

“I will do everything, everything, to appease the spirits and put an end to the division between people,” he promised.

Acknowledging the fears of opponents of the reform, he said that the draft law, which changes the composition of the commission for the appointment of judges, will be put to the vote of the deputies for approval at the plenary session “next week”. This is one of the central elements of the reform, which worries its critics. In recent days, the committee changed the text to soften its content to get a wider vote, but without the support of the opposition.

The reform aims to strengthen the power of elected officials over the judicial system. However, those who oppose it show that the project threatens the democratic character of the state of Israel.

Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies believe the reform is necessary to restore the balance of power between elected officials and the Supreme Court, which they see as politicized.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog openly spoke about the risk of “civil war”.

“DICTATOR IN THE POND”

“Tonight, Netanyahu chose to ignore his defense minister (…) and chose to give a speech that was disconnected from reality, full of lies. This is irresponsible,” reacted the leader of the opposition, former Prime Minister Yair Tombstone (in the center).

“Nothing new under the sun, Netanyahu is the same,” said Benny Gantz (center-right), another opposition figure, saying the prime minister was “not up to the challenge.”

On Thursday, tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated again against the reform during a new day of national mobilization, which was marked by clashes between demonstrators and police in Tel Aviv.

Black Flags, one of the movements at the forefront of the mobilization, described Benjamin Netanyahu’s televised appearance on Thursday night as a “grotesque spectacle of a would-be dictator”.

Israeli officials like to present their country as “the only democracy in the Middle East,” but many critics, both inside and outside Israel, point to the “incomplete” nature of that democracy, given the discrimination it continues to face. suffering, the weight of a religious institution that discriminates between men and women, or the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories.

“I intend to write individual rights into law. We will guarantee the fundamental rights of all citizens of Israel – Jews and non-Jews, secular and religious, women, LGBT. Everyone – without exception,” Netanyahu promised in his speech.