Netanyahu summons Ben-Gvir, speech continues to be postponed

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
27 Mar 2023 15:33
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summons Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over threats to resign from the government.

An electoral campaign billboard showing the faces of former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir in Al-Quds on February 17, 2020, with a caption in Hebrew reading 'only with Ben-Gvir is there Bibi.' (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed his speech, which was initially due over four hours ago, due to ongoing disputes among ruling coalition members regarding how to move forward with the judicial reforms.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu summoned Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir following the Police Minister's threats to resign from Netanyahu's government if a decision to halt the reforms gets announced.

Channel 12 reported that advisors to Netanyahu have suggested he wait until 6:00 pm to see whether the protest called for by the pro-reform coalition would manage a substantial turnout, before making a decision on whether or not to halt the judicial reforms.

The protest is planned to be held between "Sacher Park" and the Supreme Court, near the Knesset.

Calls to join pro-reform rally

On Twitter, it has been observed that a number of Likud MKs have tweeted a poster for the 6:00 pm rally that read, “State of emergency… They will not steal the elections from us.”

“We must not give up on the people’s choice,” the banner on social media says.

The ultra-conservative Har Hamor yeshiva has reportedly declared that it will be supporting the 6:00 pm rally in support of the judicial reforms and noted that hundreds of its students are set to attend.

In a letter, 17 Israeli rabbis proclaimed that it is “inconceivable that the minority will force its opinion with violence and the creation of anarchy in the streets.”

Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, who played a role in developing the judicial reforms, said "The elections will not be stolen!", "The people demand a radical overhaul of the justice system."