Attending an Israeli Bar Association event, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai reveals the estimated number of total protesters that have gathered at 4,400 locations across the country
Thousands of Israelis stage weekly protests every Saturday to show opposition to the government of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Organizers say that the protests are staged at some 155 locations.
The petition was signed, among others, by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Aguda for LGBT rights, Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition, Kav LaOved for disadvantaged workers, The Association for Ethiopian Jews, and the Adalah organization for Arab minority rights in Israel.
Several petitions against the law have already been filed, among else by the Israel Bar Association, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the Civic-Democratic organization and the Darkenu organization.
Additionally, private individuals, including military personnel, former Knesset members, and social activists, have submitted petitions against the law.
(August 8, 2023 at 10:09 a.m. EDT)
4. What else is planned?
• Changing the way judges are chosen. Currently, Supreme Court justices are selected by a committee made up of two ministers, two lawmakers (one of whom is traditionally from the opposition), two members of the bar association and three justices. The government wants to increase the role of politicians in picking judges but the details are still being debated. Some suggestions are to shift the balance of legal professionals and politicians on the committee, others to remove the judges and bar members entirely, replacing them with a mix of coalition and opposition politicians. Netanyahu says he will seek consensus and will wait till November before making his next move.
(August 7, 2023 / 23:03)
Officials in Israel‘s legal system said on Monday that they heard a threat from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he said he would complete legislation to change the way judges are selected after a bill already making its way through the Knesset requires only a final vote.
The panel for selecting judges now comprises three Supreme Court justices, two Cabinet ministers, two parliamentarians and two lawyers. A vote of at least 7-2 is required to approve an appointment, a threshold designed to encourage compromise.
Until now, the High Court has never invalidated any Basic Law. Only “regular laws” that violate Basic Laws have been disqualified. Therefore, striking down the legislation passed Monday would be an unprecedented move.
Bechar also announced that the Bar Association may cease providing services to its members as an act of protest against the “anti-democratic legislative process.” Bechar said that “a desire to harm the ability of the Court’s use of the reasonableness standard is a serious danger to Israeli democracy. The public has unequivocally directed us to act against attacks on democracy, and that is exactly what we intend to do.”
The Knesset passed in a preliminary vote on Wednesday a bill to dismantle the Israel Bar Association and replace it with a politically appointed council. The bill would replace the bar association with a “lawyer’s council” with its head appointed by the justice minister.
The bar association selects two people named to the Judicial Appointments Committee, whose composition the coalition seeks to alter in its favor. Last month, the election for its leadership saw the candidate backed by opponents of the judicial overhaul overwhelmingly defeating his rival, a supporter of the overhaul.
Despite breaking off compromise talks last month, Yesh Atid and National Unity party heads say that it is still “possible to reach agreements, it is possible to make changes in the judicial system for the good of Israeli citizens and not for the tyranny of the majority and corrupt appointments.”
The nine-member Judicial Selection Committee includes three High Court justices, one of whom is the chief justice; two ministers, one of whom is the justice minister; two Knesset members; and two representatives of the Israel Bar Association (IBA). One each of the judges, ministers, MKs and IBA representatives must be a woman.
The committee is responsible for appointing judges at all levels of Israel‘s civil court system.
(JUNE 29, 2023)
The sagas of who would be voted chair of the Israel Bar Association and the earlier vote to select the Knesset’s representatives to the judicial selection committee – two events that had never previously attracted significant media coverage or interest – are indications of the drama that we have witnessed over the past six months.
Lapid made an appearance at the Tel Aviv protest on Saturday night. At Kaplan Street, a demonstrator yelled at him, „No negotiations!“ To which he responded, „We‘re not there.“ Although he and Gantz have agreed to delay the negotiations with the coalition, protesters are demanding that they shelve them completely.
Former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni also gave a speech at that rally, saying that the government is „already advancing fascist decisions and legislation that will change the face of Israel forever. Decisions and legislation that erase democracy, bring about religious supremacy over secular people, Jewish supremacy over Arabs and messianic supremacy over judges.“
(18.01.2019)
Police suspect Nave had sexual relations with the judge in exchange for her promotion as well as with the wife of another judge in exchange for his advancement.
Nave has been a dominant and influential figure on Israel’s legal scene since 2015, when he ousted the president of the Bar Association and took leadership of the professional organization that represents the country’s 59,000 attorneys.
(today)
Nave, who had an alliance with former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, who was friends with Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, who would routinely meet with senior politicians and dreamed of becoming a cabinet minister himself someday exploited his position of power to the hilt. Like a vote contractor for a ruling party, he took advantage of his role to gain sexual favors, connections and power. And yet, if there weren’t any people willing to dance to his corrupt tune, the public may have been spared such degradation.