Israel PM Netanyahu released from hospital as demonstrators protest judicial overhaul plan ahead of key vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 73, was released from the hospital Monday morning following an emergency heart procedure as tens of thousands of demonstrators held rival rallies ahead of a key vote on the government’s judicial overhaul plan.

Netanyahu’s sudden hospitalization for the implant of a pacemaker came ahead of Monday’s vote in Parliament that is expected to approve the first major piece of legislation in the contentious plan.

The overhaul calls for sweeping changes to the powers of the judiciary, including limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions and changing the way in which judges are selected.

Netanyahu and his allies say the changes are necessary to keep the powers of unelected judges in check, but opponents argue the plan will damage the country’s system of checks and balances and push Israel toward authoritarianism.

ISRAEL PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU HAS SUCCESSFUL SURGERY FOR PACEMAKER IMPLANTATION AFTER HEALTH SCARE

The prime minister said he was looking for a compromise with his opponents as he was preparing for Monday’s vote, which would move a key piece of the legislation into law.

“I want you to know that tomorrow morning I’m joining my colleagues at the Knesset,” he said on Sunday.

According to the Associated Press, protesters Monday morning were seen waving Israeli flags, and banging on drums while blocking roads in Jerusalem as police used water cannons to disperse them.

“The state of Israel stands before destruction and ruin that is being brought upon it by a gang of extremists and kooks. We must go up to Jerusalem today!” one branch of the protest movement declared on social media.

ISRAELI PROTESTORS BLOCK HIGHWAYS AS PART OF COUNTRYWIDE DEMONSTRATION AGAINST JUDICIAL OVERHAUL

The plan prompted seven months of protests and led to harsh criticism from business and medical leaders. An increasing number of military reservists in key units have said they will stop reporting for duty if the plan is approved.

U.S. President Joe Biden has called on Netanyahu to freeze the plan and Israel’s ceremonial president Isaac Herzog, who returned Sunday from a trip to the White House, has attempted to reach a compromise between the prime minister and his opponents.

“This is a time of emergency,” Herzog said. “We have to reach an agreement.”

Herzog planned meetings later Sunday with Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid and the head of another opposition party, National Unity’s Benny Gantz.

During the meeting, tens of thousands of supporters and opponents were gathering for mass rallies. Netanyahu’s supporters marched on central Tel Aviv, which is normally the setting for anti-government protests, while his opponents were in Israel’s Knesset, or parliament.

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After seven months of protests, legislators will vote Monday on an overhaul measure that would stop judges from striking down government decisions for being “unreasonable.”

Simcha Rothman, a main proponent of the overhaul, denounced the courts by saying they damaged Israel’s democratic ideals by arbitrarily striking down government decisions.

“This small clause is meant to restore democracy to the state of Israel,” Rothman said. “I call on Knesset members to approve the bill.”

Supporters say the current “reasonability” standard gives judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials. Critics, on the other hand, argue that removing it would allow the government to approve arbitrary decisions and make improper appointments or firings.

“Our country is on fire. You’ve destroyed the country,” Orit Farkash HaCohen of the opposition National Unity party said of the government. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

Protesters claim the overhaul is an attempt at a power grab prompted by personal and political grievances of the prime minister and his partners.

Netanyahu and his allies announced the overhaul plan in January, just days after taking office. He paused the overhaul in March amid intense pressure from protesters and labor strikes that halted outgoing flights and shut down parts of the economy. 

He said after a failed compromise that his government was moving forward with the overhaul.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.