The so-called reasonableness law, part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the judiciary, has now entered into force.
Daily Archives: 26. Juli 2023
Supreme Court won‘t stop first phase of judicial reform
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will discuss the lack of meetings by the Judicial Selection Committee in September.
The Next Step in Netanyahu‘s Legal Coup Will Make Every Minister an Emperor
(28.06.2023)
Thanks to a law that Israel inherited from the British Mandate dictatorship, the interior minister holds the power to disband a municipality. The minister is barred from using it in the year preceding local elections. But once those elections are over later this year, this government can depose as many mayors and local and regional council heads as it wants. It can eliminate city council members and replace them with government loyalists.
The interior minister can easily find a pretext for “faulty performance” in any locale. And what will the deposed mayors do then? The Supreme Court will be unable to deem the decision to fire them “unreasonable,” because this standard will no longer be available.
In Israel, the Worst May Be Yet to Come
(today)
The new law certainly does damage to Israel’s democracy — for example, it opens the door to corruption — but whether the court will determine it denies the democratic nature of the state is very much an open question.
A more plausible scenario is that the Supreme Court will wait it out to see if other components of the proposed overhaul will pass, especially those dealing with judicial appointments, weakening the independence of legal counsels within government ministries, and limits on judicial review of legislation.
Warum Netanyahus “Nationalstaatsgesetz” mit der israelischen Unabhängigkeitserklärung unvereinbar ist
(11. August 2018)
Die Unabhängigkeitserklärung von Israel und das “Nationalstaatsgesetz” der Regierung Netanyahu in der wörtlichen Gegenüberstellung.
Civil unrest, legal appeals and military disobedience: What Israel may face after Supreme Court law change
In 2021, the court outlined very narrow circumstances under which a Basic Law can be annulled. A number of petitions were filed challenging the constitutionality of the Nation State Law. While the court did not strike down the law, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut said that “there is one restriction, exceedingly narrow, which is incumbent on the Knesset in its function as the constituent authority, that it is unable to revoke Israel’s essence as a Jewish and democratic state through a Basic Law.”
The court could strike down a Basic Law if it endangers democratic principles such as those that deal “a mortal blow to free and fair elections, core human rights, the separation of powers, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary,” Hayut said.
28% of Israelis considering leaving the country amid judicial upheaval — poll
A survey carried out Tuesday in the wake of the government passing the first law in its divisive judicial overhaul package found that nearly one-third of Israelis are considering leaving the country.
The Channel 13 poll found that 28% of respondents were weighing a move abroad, 64% were not, and 8% were unsure.
The True Goal of Israel‘s Judicial Coup Has Been Revealed
They are simply trying to obscure the legal overhaul’s goals until they gain control of the Judicial Appointments Committee and pass a law enabling the Knesset to override Supreme Court rulings – the only thing they need to run wild constitutionally. I
US stresses it will not cut aid to Israel due to judicial overhaul
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a phone call that “broad consensus through political dialogue” is a “critical element of a resilient democracy.”