- President mediates to avoid ‘historic crisis’
- The Netanyahu government wants to rein in the Supreme Court
JERUSALEM, Jan 15 (Portal) – Israel’s president warned on Sunday that the country faces a constitutional crisis over a controversial plan to contain the judiciary and said he was mediating between the parties.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now in his sixth term, wants to control the Supreme Court, which members of his religious-nationalist coalition have accused of hyperbole and elitism.
The proposed legislation would limit Supreme Court rulings against government decisions or laws passed by the Knesset Parliament, while increasing politicians’ influence over judge selection.
Critics of the Supreme Court, particularly on the right, accuse judges of increasingly encroaching on the political sphere and exceeding its powers to advance a left-wing agenda.
Opponents holding nationwide protests on Saturday said it would cripple the independence of the judiciary, encourage corruption, roll back minority rights and deprive Israel’s courts of credibility, which helps ward off accusations of war crimes abroad.
“We are in the grip of a profound disagreement that is tearing our nation apart. This conflict troubles me deeply, as it troubles many across Israel and the (Jewish) diaspora,” President Isaac Herzog said in a statement.
Herzog, whose posts have non-executive powers and are designed to unite an often fractious Israeli society, said he works constantly with relevant parties to promote dialogue.
“My focus now is on … two critical roles I believe I have in this hour as President: averting a historic constitutional crisis and ending the enduring divide within our nation.”
NETANYAHU DEFENDS PLAN
In televised speeches at his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu made no mention of Herzog’s overture.
Previous governments of various political persuasions had striven for judicial reforms, “and at the time nobody thought of talking about the end of democracy.”
Promising a “deep discussion” in a parliamentary review committee where the opposition is represented, Netanyahu said: “We will finalize the reform legislation that will fix what needs to be fixed, fully protect individual rights and public confidence in it.” restore the justice system. “
A poll released Sunday by the Israel Democracy Institute found a decline in public trust in the Supreme Court.
The study found that 80% of left-wing Israelis trust the court, 62% of centrists and only 29% of right-wingers.
It also found that most Israelis (55.6%) are in favor of the court having the power to overturn laws passed by the Knesset Parliament if they contradict the principles of democracy.
Yair Lapid, centrist opposition leader, denied Netanyahu’s claim that the judicial reforms reflect the views of the general electorate, but said he was open to a reform measure that would only allow changes with a parliamentary supermajority.
While Netanyahu, whose coalition controls 64 seats, wants to authorize the 120-seat Knesset to overrule some Supreme Court rulings with a majority of 61 votes, Lapid proposed increasing that to 70 — including 10 opposition lawmakers.
Writing from Dan Williams Editing by Jane Merriman and Andrew Cawthorne
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