Reforms to legal system risk pulling Israel apart, president warns

‘I am anxious we are on the brink of an internal struggle that could consume us all’

ISRAEL’S president has warned that the country is on the brink of an “internal struggle” that could “consume us all” over controversial legal reforms.

In an unusual intervention, Isaac Herzog, whose role is usually ceremonial, said he feared division over plans to reform the legal system could pull the state apart if carried out recklessly.

Separately, the killing of three Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers this month and plans by the government to annex swathes of the West Bank have also stoked fears of a major escalation.

“I see the sides prepared and ready all along the front for an all-out confrontation over the character of the state of Israel, and I am anxious we are on the brink of an internal struggle that could consume us all,” Mr Herzog said.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, is seeking reforms that critics say would weaken the supreme court and increase his coalition’s control over judicial appointments. The proposed reforms have prompted large-scale protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

In November, Mr Herzog was caught by a live microphone warning that the “entire world” was “anxious” about extreme-right politicians propping up Mr Netanyahu’s coalition. While the demonstrations in Israel are almost entirely focused on legal reform and Mr Netanyahu, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have also risen since the swearing-in of Mr Netanyahu’s government, which includes Itamar Ben-gvir, the anti-arab Right-wing extremist.

Mr Ben-gvir, who has convictions for inciting racism and supporting terrorism, has been made police and security minister and has called for a major expansion of Israeli settlements.

A report this week claimed the government was planning to shift authority over parts of the West Bank from the defence ministry to the finance ministry, which would amount to annexation. Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, has described himself as a “fascist homophobe”.

The Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered by many countries, including Britain, to be illegal under international law.