Isaac Herzog. File picture. AFP
Tel Aviv: After a contentious judicial overhaul that was advanced in a tumultuous parliamentary session overnight, Israel’s president on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition to seek out discussion and compromise.
President Isaac Herzog said it was a “tough morning” following the late night parliamentary vote that saw two contentious pieces of legislation — part of sweeping measures that have generated strong condemnation in Israel and abroad — cross a preliminary hurdle.
Opponents claim that the ongoing judicial reform will consolidate power in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and weaken the democratic system of checks and balances.
The overhauling, according to Netanyahu and his backers, will more effectively rein in an unduly powerful Supreme Court.
Herzog stated at a conference hosted by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that “many citizens across Israeli society, many people who voted for the coalition, are afraid for national unity.”
He pleaded with Netanyahu and his colleagues to open the lines of communication and forge an agreement on judicial reform.
Herzog gave the speech morning after scores of Israeli people rallied outside the parliament before the vote.
During a marathon seven-hour debate that lasted until after midnight, Netanyahu and his allies managed to adopt two of the amendments that aim to undermine the nation’s Supreme Court and strengthen the legislative coalitions in power.
The Knesset approved measures that limit the Supreme Court’s power to evaluate “Basic Laws,” which serve a quasi-constitutional function in Israel, which lacks a written constitution, and give the ruling coalition control over judicial appointments with a vote of 63-47. To become law, the legislation still need to go through two more readings in parliament.
Proposals to grant the parliament the authority to overrule Supreme Court judgements and regulate the selection of government legal counsel are also in the works.
Critics claim the new arrangement will politicise government ministries because the advisers are already civil servants in the traditional sense.
In a study conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute think tank and released on Tuesday, 66% of respondents agreed that the Supreme Court should have the power to overturn laws that conflict with the Basic Laws, and 63% said that the current system of selecting judges, which involves a panel of politicians, judges, and lawyers,should be kept in place.
72% of the 756 respondents agreed that the opposing political factions should come to an agreement on the proposed judicial amendments.
Herzog, who acts as the mostly symbolic head of state, has made an effort to mediate talks between the increasingly antagonistic camps and has urged Netanyahu and his allies to put off the divisive court reform.
Netanyahu’s ruling coalition is comprised of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties, and it gained office in late December, following the country’s fifth parliamentary election in less than four years.
The main issue that caused the political impasse was whether the longtime leader was still qualified to remain prime minister while facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and receiving bribes–charges that Netanyahu has refuted.
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