Coalition Chair Opfir Katz Admits Government Hesitated Over Protests, Calls for Right-Wing Unity
Opfir Katz, the chairman of the Israeli coalition, acknowledged in a recent interview that the government paused some judicial reform initiatives due to pressure from left-wing protests and internal hesitation. Speaking on Channel 14's weekend program with Yaakov Bardugo, Katz said, "Unfortunately, our mistake was that some of our people were scared by the protests, and we stopped some of the things we wanted to promote." He emphasized that this should not happen again and stressed the need to advance the agenda that voters elected them to pursue.
Katz called for unity within the right-wing camp ahead of upcoming elections, warning against repeating the 1992 scenario when the left-wing parties Merav Michaeli and Meretz ran separately, which he said contributed to their victory. He urged right-wing leaders Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Moshe Feiglin to set aside egos to avoid a minority government reliant on Arab parties like Mansour Abbas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
He also criticized the judicial system, calling for the appointment of eight new judges to prevent supporters of terrorism from serving in the Knesset. Katz accused the current system of systemic bias favoring the left and promised to restore justice.
Regarding political rivals, Katz accused Mansour Abbas of lying for political gain and condemned former military chief Gadi Eizenkot for opposing construction in the E1 area, asserting that the government will proceed with significant building there as a "Zionist response" to those dreaming of a Palestinian state. Katz also condemned the exposure of Yair Netanyahu's location as a criminal offense and criticized the handling of military pensions, calling for funds to be returned to the state and redirected to families of soldiers harmed by legal persecution.
The full interview was broadcast on Channel 14, where Katz reiterated his commitment to the coalition's goals and the need for right-wing solidarity to maintain power and implement reforms.
