at the same time, thousands of israelis took to the streets for a day of protest against a planned judicial overhaul. their president says the government should abandon its controversial plan. now on bbc news: it s hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i m stephen sackur. something extraordinary is happening in israel. military reservists, former security chiefs and politicians of different stripes have alljoint a mass protest movement aimed at thwarting the netanyahu plan to radically overall israel s judicial system. the critics say it threatens israel s stability. this as violence in the west bank raising questions over the strategic direction of netanyahu s nationalist government. my guest simcha rothman is an architect of those judicial reforms. it s israel plunging into chaos? simcha rothman injerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. it is a pleasure to have you on the show. would it be fair to say that you have been preparing for years for this opportunity tha
some palestinians imprisoned in israel have also been returned to their homes. now, as i understand it, you personally opposed the deal, but because, on the face of it, it s working do you think you were wrong and that the deal has been a positive? i have to say that it doesn t really matter if i supported it or was against it, because once it s been decided by the government of the state of israel, so, of course, we are all committed the supporters and the people who were against to make sure that the state of israel and the people in israel will get the most out of the deal and pay the least of the prices that we expected, everyone, that we should pay. i think the major price is what you said in the beginning, is the equals sign that, sadly, this deal creates even in.in the media, the world media. we are talking about babies on one side babies, children, women, citizens and we are comparing them to terrorists, to convicted terrorists that were trialled because o
does netanyahu have a viable plan for what comes next? simcha rothman injerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. hi. thank you for having me. it s a pleasure to have you on the show, mr rothman. i want to begin with the limited, fragile deal between the israeli government and hamas, which has enabled some israeli hostages held in gaza to return home. and part of the deal is that some palestinians imprisoned in israel have also been returned to their homes. now, as i understand it, you personally opposed the deal, but because, on the face of it, it s working do you think you were wrong and that the deal has been a positive? i have to say that it doesn t really matter if i supported it or was against it, because once it s been decided by the government of the state of israel, so, of course, we are all committed the supporters and the people who were against to make sure that the state of israel and the people in israel will get the most out of the deal and pay the least of the p
just three years old, released with their mother, sharon. their father is still being held in gaza. they ll be picked up by military helicopter. like these boys, freed last night. the government here has been sharing footage of every release. israelis are very invested in this and the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, needs a victory even a partial one. already savouring her freedom, margalit moses, who is 78. she tells hospital staff in tel aviv they are amazing. so is she. freed from gaza on friday after almost 50 days in captivity. already a survivor of cancer, and now of hamas. some homecomings are overshadowed by sorrow. hila has been reunited with her uncle, yair rotem. but her mother, raya, yair s sister, was not freed by hamas, though israel says mothers and children were supposed to be released together. yair says his niece is still finding her voice. well, hila is whispering because she says that the terrorists that held them told them to keep it low all the tim
in gaza to return home. and part of the deal is that some palestinians imprisoned in israel have also been returned to their homes. now, as i understand it, you personally opposed the deal, but because, on the face of it, it s working do you think you were wrong and that the deal has been a positive? i have to say that it doesn t really matter if i supported it or was against it, because once it s been decided by the government of the state of israel, so, of course, we are all committed the supporters and the people who were against to make sure that the state of israel and the people in israel will get the most out of the deal and pay the least of the prices that we expected, everyone, that we should pay. i think the major price is what you said in the beginning, is the equals sign that, sadly, this deal creates even in.in the media, the world media. we are talking about babies on one side babies, children, women, citizens and we are comparing them to terrorists,