Protests want ‘to tear Israeli society’ apart

Get The AJN Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

With Israel’s judicial overhaul negotiations reaching a crucial point this week, Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky said it’s his job to “see the light at the end of the tunnel”.

Speaking exclusively to The AJN Milwidsky, who is a member of the government’s delegation involved in heated talks with the opposition at President Isaac Herzog’s residence, said what happens this week will likely dictate how the rest of the negotiations play out.

The Knesset will vote to place two members on the Judicial Selection Committee, which picks the nation’s judges. The coalition has threatened to appoint two of its own to the committee, instead of maintaining the tradition of one coalition member and one opposition member.

“We want to change who is sitting there, the opposition doesn’t want to,” Milwidsky told The AJN.

“It’s a big dispute and I hope we can reach an agreement, but it’s a pretty major issue right now.”

With protests against the now paused judicial overhaul still ongoing, Milwidsky acknowledged the opposition leaders are in a tricky position, but he believes all will be revealed in the next few days.

“I think the vast majority of the Israeli people want big, mutual understanding on these issues,” he said.

“The extremists on both sides naturally don’t and the opposition’s role is very tricky because they’re under great pressure from the leaders of what we call here the protests to leave the talks in the President’s house, because they know the minute they reach a certain understanding with us, it basically empties the claims these protests have. They’re going to do everything they can to stop the opposition leaders from reaching an agreement with us.

“It will be their turn to show if they are true leaders and willing to take a step forward towards mutual understanding despite all that, or do they value more the protests and their opinions.”

Milwidsky said the protests were initially about a genuine fear for the future of democracy in Israel, but in his opinion they have turned violent and are being carried out by those who “want to tear the Israeli society from within”.

“I don’t think there’s a tension between secular Jews and Orthodox Jews, but there is a tension between the extremists leading these protest movements,” Milwidsky said.

“Now when the talks are at the President’s house and everybody sees we’re trying to reach an agreement, these protests do not stop and they get more violent. In my opinion, the people who lead these protests now are very dangerous people.”

Milwidsky said there is a group of protesters demonstrating outside of his own house who compare him to Nazis and who have intimidated his own family.

“I found out people in that group started following and threatening my kids and started gathering information about where I park my car and what the registration number is,” he said.

“I don’t know any of these people, the only difference between them and me is that we think differently about some political aspects and they find that justifying enough to threaten my kids.”

While Milwidsky said protests and disagreements are what makes a democracy, he has pleaded with the protesters not to “tear the very delicate Israeli society apart”.

“Israel is not only yours, Israel is the home of the entire Jewish people,” he said.

“You should keep it whole and keep it safe.”