Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting this morning that he intends to begin moving forward with legislation related to the government’s judicial reform planned for this week.
Referring to the opposition’s withdrawal from talks on reforming the judicial system last week, Netanyahu said: “What was made clear last week is that there is basically a false facade of the supposed dialogue, but we were given a month, another month, and then three months. Opposition representatives will not agree to a limit.” The lowest level of understanding. Their intention was to play for time, to ease any amendment, when the vast majority of the public now understands that amendments must be made to the legal system. So we will meet this week and begin practical steps. We will implement them in a measured and responsible manner but in accordance with the mandate that We got it.”
Netanyahu’s announcement comes after opposition leader Yair Lapid announced that opposition representatives would stop attending talks aimed at finding a compromise on reforming the legal system, sponsored by President Isaac Herzog. This came after the failure of moves in the Knesset to elect representatives to fill two positions in the Judges Selection Committee. An opposition representative was elected, but not a representative of the ruling coalition. Netanyahu had pledged to hold elections by June 14, to enable the committee to convene in its current format and to make judicial appointments. The absence of a second Knesset representative means that the committee cannot convene. Netanyahu is accused by the opposition of deliberately sabotaging the vote and thus breaking his pledge. Changes to the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee to give the government greater control over judicial appointments are the most controversial part of the judicial reform legislation spearheaded by Justice Minister Yariv Levin.
“There is an opposition representative for the judge selection committee, but there is no judicial selection committee,” Lapid said last week. Netanyahu prevented it from forming it, and put an end to pretending that he wanted dialogue. The commission was not formed, and the threat to democracy was not removed. Netanyahu knows exactly what the consequences will be. By the president and by us. Without the Judicial Appointments Commission, we wouldn’t come to the President’s Residence. No commission, no talks.”
It is scheduled that the heads of the coalition parties will meet after the cabinet meeting to discuss the steps that need to be taken to advance judicial reform.
Today after the prime minister’s announcement, Lapid said, “Netanyahu’s announcement that he intends to unilaterally advance regime change will be a decisive blow to the economy, endangering security, and tearing Israel to shreds. Instead of sacking Yariv Levin, Netanyahu is sacking the state of Israel.”
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The leadership of the protest against the changes in the legal system said in a statement: “Netanyahu’s threats against the legal system will be met with an appropriate Zionist response: demonstrations and disturbances that will lead to the failure of any attempt to harm the legal system.” The Israeli Legal System and Democracy”.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on June 18, 2023.
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