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Israel president says he’s trying to avert constitutional crisis
Israel: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he’s focused on averting a “historic constitutional crisis” after being criticized for not joining efforts to stop the government’s controversial legal and judicial reform proposals.
“I am now focused on two critical roles that I believe I bear as president at this hour: averting a historic constitutional crisis and stopping the continued rift within our nation,” Herzog said Sunday in a statement.
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“Over the past week, I have been working full time, by every means, making nonstop efforts with the relevant parties, with the aim of creating wide-reaching, attentive, and respectful discussion and dialog, which I hope will yield results,” he said.
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government that would limit the High Court of Justice’s power to strike down legislation. It would also give parliament a majority on the committee that appoints judges.
Opposition parties and jurists argue that the plan would remove checks on government power and endanger civil rights. A smaller gathering of protesters outside Herzog’s residence late Saturday expressed anger at the president for not taking action against the initiative, according to local media.
