Israeli police, citizens fear 'civil war' over judicial overhaul plan

Senior officials in the Israeli police force have said the government’s insistence on going through with a controversial judicial overhaul plan could possibly push Israel towards civil war, according to the Israel Hayom news site.

Israel Hayom said that the police had been "sounding the alarm in the wake of intelligence showing that the escalating protests could result in increased friction" between supporters and opponents of the plan.

Police had began to set up "contingency teams" to separate opponents and supporters of the judicial overhaul, the Israeli news site added.

They had also been monitoring content and messages shared on social media among pro-government right-wing activists, who have allegedly been saying they want to block the entrances to kibbutzes as a counterweight to anti-government protesters.

A senior police officer told Israel Hayom that the situation was "going to get more violent and more severe."

"We will separate the two sides, we won't let kibbutzim be blocked, as this will require us to deal with an entirely different theatre of operations," the unnamed official was quoted as saying.

The officer added that response teams will be deployed accordingly, based on the number of protests and the settlements likely to be targeted in protests, adding that there have already been cases of violence.

"These democracy protests are actually mislabelled because you can't have democracy when you have a system that's founded on racism."

As mass protests sweep Israel, Palestinians remain alienated⬇ https://t.co/H6KqRlwzJb

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) April 1, 2023

A recent public opinion poll conducted by Israel’s Channel 12 indicated that the majority of Israelis feared a civil war over the judicial overhaul crisis.

The poll showed that 67% of respondents feared a civil war, while 29% ruled out this scenario.

The overhaul bill proposes restricting the powers of the Supreme Court, which critics say would greatly inhibit the independence of the judiciary and "endanger Israeli democracy."

The far-right ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to limit the Supreme Court's  ability to void decisions made by the government, ministers and elected officials, including ministerial appointments.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken part in mass protests in recent months, cutting off major roads and disrupting daily life, including members of the military who have threatened to quit if the bill is made law.

The hardline government temporarily paused the divisive overhaul in March in the wake of a general strike, but now, and in the absence of negotiations with the opposition, it is determined to press on with the legislative process. The first reading has already been adopted by the parliament.