In the midst of unprecedented upheaval, JPMorgan Chase & Co., an American multinational financial services company, has issued a caution about the growing risk of investing in the Israeli-occupied territories. The company cited protest plans by the far-right administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the regime’s judicial system and weaken the Supreme Court.
According to times of israel, an internal memo that was first reported by Israel’s Channel 12 news stated, “Israel’s local markets have seen a flare-up in idiosyncratic risk, as increased geopolitical tensions were added to investor concerns over plans for judicial reforms.”
The memo added, “The judicial reform has raised concerns regarding the country’s institutional strength and investment climate. The memo from Friday also mentioned the “significant local protests” against the judicial overhaul in the Israeli-occupied territories.
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It also said that investors should think about prolonged “geopolitical hostilities” caused by the “less centrist tilt” of the Israeli cabinet at the moment. The memo compared Israel to Poland, which passed its own judicial reforms in 2016 and experienced a downgrade, and stated that Netanyahu’s plans could result in a downgrade of the Tel Aviv regime’s credit rating.
Since Netanyahu’s decision to overhaul the judiciary, protests have taken place all over the occupied Palestinian territories, according to the report.
The legal changes, according to opponents, weaken oversight of the ruling administration and parliament and pose a threat to judges’ independence. They also claim that the plans will make it easier for more corruption and violate the rights of minorities. Long ago, politicians from Netanyahu’s Likud party said that leftist judges controlled the Israeli Supreme Court. They assert that the judges violate their authority for political purposes.
In an open letter sent to Netanyahu in December of that year, representatives of Israel’s high-tech industry warned that “making common cause with extremists” like the minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir and far-right politician Bezalel Smotrich could seriously undermine Israel’s position as a tech hub.
Separately, rising tensions in the occupied West Bank have been a blow to the Israeli government. Israel has increased its attacks on Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories over the past few months. These attacks have resulted in the arrest of numerous Palestinians and the deaths of dozens of others.
Obviously, the Israeli continuous illegal Invasions on the occupied West Bank and the ill-treatment is pushing the Palestinians to the wall, and it might result in an unimaginable catastrophic retaliation that will shake the existence of the Israeli regime, no matter how powerful the regime seems to be.
It was reported last year, that Israeli forces killed at least 171 Palestinians, including more than 30 children, in the occupied East al-Quds and West Bank. Additionally, at least 9,000 more were injured. 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in 16 years, according to the United Nations.
