Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo hernia surgery, with Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin set to act as interim Prime Minister while Netanyahu is under anesthesia. This comes after Netanyahu's doctors discovered the hernia during a routine check-up, and follows previous health concerns that led to a pacemaker surgery last year.
National Unity party leader Benny Gantz criticized Justice Minister Yariv Levin's attack on Supreme Court justices during a pro-judicial overhaul rally, calling into question the coalition's commitment to reaching a consensus on judicial reform as part of ongoing negotiations with the opposition. Gantz also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to condemn Levin's comments and said he would attend the anti-government weekly rallies. Opposition figures also criticized Levin's remarks, with Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid slamming "the speeches of incitement" by the justice minister and other coalition members.
A mass right-wing protest in support of the government's plan to weaken judicial checks on political power highlights the deepening divide between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his justice minister and longtime confidant, Yariv Levin. Netanyahu's decision to pause the reform legislation until the next Knesset session to allow time for dialogue with the opposition is seemingly weighing a different tack. Meanwhile, Levin is determined to push his judicial agenda, especially seizing political control over judicial appointments. The protest was a call aimed at Netanyahu himself, issued by the more hardline flank of his own coalition.