JERUSALEM: Israeli protesters blocked the main highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Wednesday, as lawmakers were set to plow ahead with a contentious judicial overhaul that opponents see as a threat to democracy.
“Israel is not a dictatorship, Israel is not Hungary,” the protesters called, waving blue and white Israeli flags.
Demonstrations were expected to intensify nationwide in what protest organizers have dubbed a “day of disruption.” Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would not allow a “mutiny,” or “anarchists” to block roads.
The reform was proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious coalition government in January. It includes giving the government decisive sway in picking judges and limits the scope of the Supreme Court to strike down legislation or rule against the executive.
Critics say that this would greatly weaken judicial independence, given Israel has no constitution and only one house of parliament that is controlled by the coalition.
In parliament on Wednesday, the Knesset’s Constitution, Justice and Law Committee was set to give initial approval to more proposals in the plan.
Warning the country was on the brink of “constitutional and social collapse,” President Isaac Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, is trying to formulate a compromise on the changes.
The plan has yet to be written into law, but it has already affected the Israeli shekel and drawn concern from some Western allies who have signaled concern about the democratic health of the country if the government goes through with the overhaul.
“Slow down a little a bit, maybe bring people together, try and build some consensus,” US Ambassador Tom Nides said at Tel Aviv University’s conference of the Institute for National Security Studies late on Tuesday.
Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges that he denies, says the changes will restore balance between the branches of government and boost business. Economists and legal experts have said it will isolate Israel and wreak havoc on its economy.
Israeli protesters block highway as government presses on with judicial overhaul
https://arab.news/9hkdq
Israeli protesters block highway as government presses on with judicial overhaul
- Lawmakers to plow ahead with a contentious judicial overhaul that opponents see as a threat to democracy
- Demonstrations expected to intensify nationwide in what protest organizers have dubbed a ‘day of disruption’
One killed in attack on oil tankers off Iraq, rescue operation ongoing: authorities
- Iraq’s oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday it had “deep concern” about incidents involving oil tankers in the Gulf, without providing details
BAGHDAD: An attack on two oil tankers near Iraq killed at least one crew member, authorities said on Thursday, as Iran carries out a campaign to disrupt global energy markets.
Farhan Al-Fartousi, from Iraq’s General Company for Ports, told state television that one crew member had been killed and 38 rescued while the “search continues for the missing.”
He did not specify the crew members’ nationalities or provide details on who was behind the attack, which occurred roughly 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the coast.
The Iraqi government’s media cell told national news agency INA that “two tankers were subject to sabotage.”
Iraq’s oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday it had “deep concern” about incidents involving oil tankers in the Gulf, without providing details.
“The safety of navigation in international maritime corridors and energy supply routes must remain free from regional conflicts,” the ministry added.
The Strait of Hormuz — the waterway carrying a fifth of the world’s oil — remains closed to almost all oil tankers, and Iran has vowed that not one liter of oil would be exported from the Gulf while its war with the United States and Israel continues.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that US forces have struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels more than a week into the Middle East war.
Images of a ship at sea with plumes of smoke rising from a huge fire, were broadcast by state television channel Al-Ikhbariya. AFP could not verify the images.
An employee at Iraq’s Basra oil terminal told AFP that it was unclear “whether it was a drone attack or explosive-laden boats.”
The Iraqi State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) confirmed in a statement that two oil tankers were attacked, without providing details on how.
Maltese-flagged oil tanker ZEFYROS was attacked as it was preparing to enter the port of Khor Al-Zoubair, where it would have taken on board an additional 30,000 tons of liquid naphtha — primarily used in petrochemicals, SOMO said.
The second targeted vessel, SAFESEA VISHNU, was sailing under the Marshall Islands flag and was chartered by an Iraqi company, according to SOMO.
The incidents come just hours after the US embassy in Baghdad warned that Iran and Tehran-backed Iraqi armed groups might target US-owned oil facilities in Iraq.
