Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to speed up work on a judicial reform project his government wants but which is deeply dividing the country, AFP reports.

“We will meet within a week and begin practical measures,” Netanyahu said at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, without elaborating.

Netanyahu’s government, formed in late December with the support of far-right parties and ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups, is pushing for judicial reform that would give elected officials more influence over the selection of judges and limit the Supreme Court’s prerogatives.

The announcement of the text in January led to one of the largest protest movements in Israeli history.

The government believes the reform is necessary to ensure a better balance of power, but its critics see it as a threat to Israeli democracy and its institutional guarantees.

At the end of March, Benjamin Netanyahu announced a break in the legislative process, and negotiations began between the ruling coalition and opposition parties to reach a compromise under the auspices of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

But on Wednesday, Israel’s two main opposition leaders, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, suspended their participation in the talks, with Lapid accusing the prime minister of “pretending to be open to discussion.”

On Sunday, Netanyahu again accused opposition leaders of “simulating fake negotiations,” promising to advance the project “considerably and responsibly,” again without elaborating.

“We gave one month, then another, and then another month – three months. Their (opposition) representatives did not agree to the most elementary agreements. The intention was clearly to waste time,” Netanyahu said in front of his cabinet. according to Reuters.

“Netanyahu’s announcement to unilaterally pursue judicial reform will seriously compromise the country’s economy and security and divide the Israeli people,” Yair Lapid responded in a short video posted on Facebook, vowing to continue the “fight” to prevent that from happening. happens

With his coalition holding 64 out of 120 seats in parliament, ratification of the reform bills – if they go to a vote – looks possible, Reuters comments.

But opposition leader Yair Lapid hinted that Netanyahu could not be assured of a majority after some coalition members voted in a secret ballot last week to have the opposition lawmaker join the Justice, Appointments and Immunities Committee.

(Source: Agerpres)