Israel's defense minister Joav Gallant came to Brussels on Thursday to attend a gathering of NATO defense ministers and meet US defense secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss Israel-US cooperation against Iran. According to media reports, an interim nuclear deal with Iran, which Israel opposes, is close to be signed.
On Friday, he met the local Jewish community in Brussels to explain his government’s plan for a controversial judicial reform in the country. The reform, or coup as the opposition call it, has been met with mass demonstrations in Israel.
Journalists coming to cover the meeting, which took place in the Grand Synagogue of Europe in Brussels, were told by police that it was a private meeting and were not allowed to enter the building. A source at the Israeli embassy in Brussels explained that the meeting was a closed briefing for the heads of the Jewish organisations and by invitation only.
Galant himself broke government discipline when he last March spoke out in TV against the government. He warned against the internal divide in Israel and the impact of the reform on Israel’s security, military preparedness and deterrence against its enemies. His speech earned him the appreciation of the protestors and the opposition but since then he has disappointed them.
Other Israeli ministers and members of the parliament (Knesset) have been travelling abroad to meet their counterparts and to explain the reform which has strained Israel’s relations with other countries, including the European Union, that share the same values and principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
Often, they have been met by demonstrators who followed them and shouted ‘Shame’ and ‘Democracy’. Some of the Israeli politicians lost their temper and reacted in a way that embarrassed the Israeli government as happened recently in New York. Galant was apparently afraid for similar incidents in Brussels but that does not explain why media was not welcome.
Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister, told an American-Jewish conference in Tel Aviv last Sunday that, “You come here because you love Israel, not necessarily the government. Governments come and go but the state stays.” His message to the participants was to make use of their voice and tell the government what they think.
The first demonstration in Brussels against the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul took place in March. This time, the closed meeting in Brussels was met by a quiet demonstration opposite the synagogue with banners calling for ‘Democracy for all’, 'Stop the coup', ‘No democracy with occupation’ and ‘Hands off the supreme court’.
The last issue is very much at a crucial point. The negotiations on finding a broad solution under the auspices of the Israel president have just broken down with no trust left between government and opposition.
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
