December 24th, 2015
Last week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed Article 52 to the Israeli anti-trust law, enacting an article that enables the government to abolish competition in the Israeli natural gas market in order to improve Israel's energy security, security, and foreign relations interests. In doing so Mr. Netanyahu set a precedent; it was the first time Article 52 was enacted since the law was passed.
In recent times, the regulatory framework, known in Hebrew as the Mitveh Hagaz, became the most talked about topic in Israel. In certain circles of the Israeli public, mainly in the civil society, the framework has provoked outrage. For the last few weeks, rallies and demonstration have been held against its implementation in many cities and town around the country. The organisers, including NGOs and civil associations, tried to distance themselves from any political affiliation and identification. Politicians, although a few of them attended rallies and supported the framework's opponents, were not allowed to address the public from the podiums.
