Israeli government faces '3 fights', including internal unrest: Netanyahu

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his cabinet is experiencing "three fights", including internal unrest amid mass protests against his government’s plan for judicial overhaul.

Speaking at his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu described the ongoing protests against the judicial reform plan as "anarchy."

"We won't accept anarchy," he added.

The Israeli premier said the two other fights his government is dealing with are the Palestinian attacks and Iran's nuclear program.

Netanyahu called on the Israeli police to take a tougher stance against the anti-government protests, and to not allow protesters to block roads. He also urged the army chief of staff to contain a wave of protests within the military.

"I expect from the military chief of staff and the heads of the branches of the security services to aggressively combat the refusal to serve. There's no place for refusal to serve in the public discourse," he said. "A state that wishes to exist can't tolerate such phenomena and we will not tolerate it as well."

For more than two months, thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to protest Netanyahu’s plan for judicial overhaul, seen by the opposition as an attempt to reduce the powers of the judicial authority in favor of the executive authority.

Proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform, if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.

The planned change would severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the attorney general.

However, Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, insists that his judicial plan would enhance democracy and would restore balance between the legislative, executive, and judicial powers.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar