President Isaac Herzog unveiled this evening (Wednesday) his proposal, which he called the ‘People’s Framework,’ for a compromise on the government’s planned judicial reforms.
“The abyss is within touching distance,” the President said during his announcement. “Those who think that a civil war is something that we could not reach, have no idea.”
‘I have met with thousands of citizens, the best sons and daughters of the state. In my worst nightmares I never thought I would hear such words. Such deep hatred could lead to – G-d forbid – blood in the streets will not shock them,” he said.
Herzog emphasized that “the IDF should be out of bounds. We are at the crossroads of what could be a historical crisis or a defining constitutional moment. Substantial changes must be made with common sense. Our holy texts call on us to pursue justice and peace.”
“The majority of Israeli citizens want a balanced outline that will once and for all establish the relations between the governing authorities in Israel. The majority of Israeli citizens want a broad consensus. The majority of Israeli citizens want to live safe and good lives thanks to the government’s policies and actions and also want to be protected from the power of the government.
“The outline that I am presenting today is a ‘golden mean,’ which brings together in a proper, decent, balanced and constructive manner, the perceptions, beliefs, and concerns of all sides. It reflects the area of agreement and the greatest common denominator. I have already said: if only one side wins – the State of Israel will lose. In this outline there is no winning side and no losing side. It is an outline that is all about the victory of the citizens of Israel. The place of legislative proceedings is in the Knesset, so it is important to emphasize that the outline I am presenting today is a proposal of principles, a basis for an in-depth, proper and correct discussion,” he said.
Opponents of the judicial reforms have staged large protests for months. President Herzog has been attempting to mediate negotiations on a compromise between the coalition and opposition, but the opposition has refused to talk unless the current legislation is frozen.
The president’s proposal has already been dismissed by some members of the coalition even before it was unveiled.
Channel 12 News reported that the judicial reforms’ main architects, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Knesset Constitution Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman, strongly oppose Herzog’s proposal.
In addition, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi tweeted: “Mr. President, the people”s framework was set exactly four months ago. We are on it.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed his flight to Germany today to hold discussions with coalition officials on the efforts to reach a compromise on the judicial reforms. Israeli media have speculated that Netanyahu’s move may have been in response to President Herzog’s intention to unveil his proposal this evening.