Knesset panel to discuss bills letting MKs shield legislation from review, limit option of recusing PM; next plenum votes expected Wednesday, when protesters plan ‘day of struggle’
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Chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee MK Simcha Rothman leads a committee hearing, February 22, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
After hundreds of thousands of people protested Saturday evening against the government’s judicial overhaul plans, the coalition was nevertheless expected to continue advancing the radical reform package at full speed Sunday, with the next plenum votes on pieces of legislation set for Wednesday, although the schedule could yet change.
Since being sworn in less than two months ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition has prioritized the controversial proposals to transform the justice system, which are being spearheaded by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and MK Simcha Rothman, the head of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
Rothman was planning to bring the so-called “override” bill, which passed a preliminary reading last week, for discussion in his committee on Sunday morning, Hebrew media reported.
According to Rothman’s bill, passed as Basic Law: Override, the Knesset could legislate nearly any law with a clause making the law entirely immune to judicial oversight. Laws that are not made immune will require a unanimous decision by all 15 High Court justices to be struck down.
The bill passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset last week, and is expected to be prepared in the committee for its first reading in little over a week, Channel 13 news reported.
The network said a second version of the law will also be discussed, in which the High Court would be unable to strike down laws altogether, but would be able to publish a non-binding declaration that it contradicts one of Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws, sending it back to Knesset review.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left), Justice Minister Yariv Levin (center) and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, in the Knesset on February 22, 2023 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The coalition is also reportedly planning this coming week to advance legislation that would radically limit the circumstances in which the recusal of a serving prime minister can be ordered. The preliminary vote on that bill is expected on Wednesday.
Wednesday is also planned to be the next day of nationwide protests, with organizers saying it will be “a day of struggle” around the country. They have not yet announced their plans, but are expected to lead various acts of disruption throughout the country, whether by blocking roads or other means.
The coalition’s plans to severely weaken the judiciary have sparked mass protests and warnings of the potential for extensive economic and social harm from top public figures including jurists, economists, business leaders, high-tech entrepreneurs and reservists from top military units.
On Saturday, masses of Israelis took part in protests against the government plans, with estimates pointing to 130,000-160,000 in Tel Aviv and tens of thousands more around the country. Organizers claimed that some 300,000 took part in rallies around the country, making the latest demonstrations the largest ones yet.
An aerial drone shot of anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on February 25, 2023. (social media)<
As the main rally in Tel Aviv ended, hundreds of protesters marched down to the Ayalon Highway, clashing with cops who tried — unsuccessfully — to prevent them from blocking the major thoroughfare. Some demonstrators set tires and wooden planks alight on the road, which was blocked for several hours.
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Police said 21 protesters had been arrested. Cops also opened an investigation into one protester seen writing graffiti on the highway calling Netanyahu a “traitor.” A few police officers were hurt by violent demonstrators, the force stated, including two who were bitten by rioters.
Netanyahu said the protesters were trying “to create anarchy” and force another election.
The sweeping reforms, which have been fast-tracked through the Knesset in recent weeks, include the government granting itself total control over the appointment of judges to the High Court, all but eliminating the court’s ability to review and strike down legislation, and allowing politicians to appoint — and fire — their own legal advisers.
Critics say the plan will deeply undermine Israel’s democratic character by upsetting its system of checks and balances, granting almost all power to the coalition and leaving individual rights unprotected and minorities undefended.
Top economic figures have repeatedly warned the overhaul will cause severe damage to the economy. After the Knesset passed initial votes on the legislation on Tuesday, marking the first significant steps in its divisive effort, the shekel depreciated to the weakest level in three years against the US dollar and Tel Aviv shares declined.
Netanyahu has pushed back against the criticism and brushed the predictions aside, saying the proposals will strengthen rather than weaken democracy, and that his government is carrying out the will of the people.
Several recent polls have indicated the overhaul plans are broadly unpopular with the public.
An excellent article about the solution to the judiciary reform problem (originally from JNS.org):
Hi, Peloni. I checked in to see the link you provided:
In these times of “intersectionality” and other forms of deliberate confusion mongering, it’s nice to see an article that presents things in a clear-cut dichotomy. The gist of this article is definitely:
Netanyahu = White Hat/ “Goodies”
(US) State Department = Black Hat/ “Baddies”
I think it’s dangerous to imagine that there even ARE people who are “Goodies”, it’s comforting to see a writer like Greenfield juxtapose things like this.
From here, it’s fairly easy for a wordbutcher to slide into chaos. This slide starts right here, in fact, in equating “Biden” to the “State Department”. From there, it’s a short step to equating “America” to “Biden”, “Christians” to “America” and “antisemites” to “Christians”. All of these analogies have appeared on Israpundit, until “Jews” become synonymous, to the intersectional mind, with “State Department” and “Netanyahu” becomes “non-Jewish!”
Let Reader and Quigly enter the fray, equating all sides with “Trotsky” and “Monopoly Capital”, and we can all pull out our imaginary knives and do mass hara kiri!
BTW, Tanna, regarding
I certainly agree with “Evil is as evil does”. which you assert along with Forrest Gump’s mama. I live in Oregon, a couple hours from Portland. OR is called a “blue” state, yet in some 98% of the state, Republicans outnumber Democrats. We are also listed as one of the most “unchurched” states in the Union, which is a misnomer. The reality is that in Oregon, “One is company, and two’s a crowd” to a large degree, and this extends to church congregations. I suppose in the eyes of some, Oregonians like me are definitely “baddies”, from any perspective!
Shalom shalom 😉
@Michael S.
You vile comment only proves my argument as to why this administration has appointed so many Jewish officials.
I posted on this site the information about (FAR more numerous than the American Jews) American minorities who vote for the democrats even more than Jews do but the usual bait is tastier, I guess than the truth.
@peloni
The
are worth a total of 48% of the popular vote.
Oslo was passed because the religious parties abstained from voting.
The power sharing in the Knesset has nothing to do with what the public wants but with what parties the prime minister is able to buy off in order to put together a coalition.
In this case, Netanyahu promised everything and more to the so-called right wing parties in return for rescuing him from his lawsuit and getting the criminal Aryeh Deri the ministries that he wants – if this is not corruption, I don’t know what is.
Israel’s election system needs reform far more than its judiciary.
Greenfield Says; “And the left has threatened everything up to civil war to protect its illegitimate power, while its angry protests have been spun as grassroots opposition.” Before I read Greenfield’s article, I thought, the same group of people that where causing all the problems 2 years ago, (have moved to Israel) in Seattle, Portland and Denver.(which was hardly reported) but people living in Denver had stories to tell that where just as bad as Portland. Evil is as evil does.
Biden administration funds anti-Netanyahu protest group
@Reader
You are quite wrong. This is how Oslo was passed. This is how the previous govt paid the Brotherhood their price in land and treasure. It takes 61 MKs or a majority of voting MKs to carry a measure. The voters have no role in the matter past choosing their representatives, and demonstrating their support or objection thru peaceful protests or peaceful contacts with the parties in power. Majorities pass bills. Minorities can only present what bills which they negotiate with the ruling govt as took place last year when Bennett could not pass the Citizenship bill, because he formed a govt with an anti-Zionist faction, which placed him in the precarious position of requiring support from the Opposition.
Your pronouncement that rule by a majority faction is a dictatorship is both naive and ridiculous to read, regardless how small the majority stands. In fact, the 64 MKs in this govt provide it far more votes than Mr. Bennett had in nearly all of the bills passed in his previous govt of spare parts.
Let us not continue this silly debate.
Reader,
Where did you read that? In a comic book? Seats in the Knesset are not divided according to individual votes; they are divided according the most successful parties. That’s the Israeli system, inherited from the British system, which is time-tested.
You seem to be fixated on political and economic systems. I hope that while you yet live on this planet, you come to realize what a waste of time this is. Wicked people will usually choose wicked leaders, and less wicked people will choose less wicked leaders, regardless of the system.
Reader, you said,
No kidding. It’s called “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” Jewish voters and donors are the backbone of the Obama/Biden Administration, from Schumer on down. Of course, these aren’t representative of religious Jews, or anything like that. The point is that they are supporting the most evil administration that America has ever seen, one that is hell-bent on destroying my country. Those Soros-funded hordes in Israel, meanwhile, are trying to destroy the Jewish state. Both America and Israel are good countries, so the above-mentioned Jews are giving God’s chosen people an undeserved bad name. When I see their right-wing rivals here chiming into the chorus for no sensible reason (You are one of these, with your unending attacks on my people and my country), let me just say that you and your compatriots (if you are indeed Jewish) are busy undermining yourselves. For what it’s worth, I advise against it.
@peloni
You are incredibly wrong!
If one set of parties collects more seats than another set, especially, while both sets represent almost the same number of votes each, this does not give it the absolute power in a parliament, and it does not mean that the so-called opposition should just resign and watch the coalition do whatever it wants.
This is NOT how a parliament works, the coalition cannot just disregard 50% of all the voters.
If it does that, this means a dictatorship, not democracy, and we are in the midst of a parliamentary crisis, the Knesset must be dissolved and a new election called.
@Reader
Because they won’t agree to the terms which would allow them to join those who have greater than 61 seats. Its a representative parliamentary govt. The majority, not the minority, sets the agenda and passes the laws, precisely because the majority have a mandate from the people, whereas the minority have none. If the opposition would care to come in out of the cold, they could have shed their arrogance and lost their condescension and requested to join the govt, but they can’t set the agenda, and in any event they wouldn’t join Bibi. It is for the best in many ways, but it has also been quite damaging to the country in many others, and continues to be so. The nation might have benefited from a cooperative negotiation with some input from the a liberal perspective, but not from these radicals, who call for violence and overthrows, boycotts and partitions, are best left out in the cold, devoid of all input, like a pantomime in a screaming match, these scalawags have no honest role to play in forming good governance or productive policies, and are best left ignored until that changes.
@Michael S.
The cabinet is overwhelmingly Jewish not because the Jews sneaked in there but because they were appointed, and the reason they were appointed was that, in case of major problems, there will be the usual scapegoat available (which, obviously, works perfectly with you, and, I am sure, with most of the American population).
Where did you get the information that the US Jews overwhelmingly support Biden and want to destroy both the US and Israel?
The last two are extremely serious accusations.
The coalition has no right to think of itself as a sole power just because they have more seats in the Knesset.
The opposition was also voted in, and if you compare the actual number of votes in the last elections, it is almost 50/50.
Why should 50% of the voters be declared subhuman and completely disregarded by the coalition just because the parties they voted for have fewer than 61 seats?
“Hundreds of thousands of protestors” would be an enormous crowd in the US, which is 35 times as populous as Israel. That translates to overwhelming Jewish opposition to the Netanyahu government and its policies.
George Soros is a staunch supporter of the “progressive” (what a misnomer!) Biden regime, whose cabinet is overwhelmingly Jewish.US Jews, of course, also overwhelmingly support Biden; so I think it’s safe to say that the same Jews who want to destroy America, also want to destroy Netanyahu and Israel.
There is something terribly wrong here. Add to this, the fact that Israpundit seems to overwhelmingly oppose the US concerning the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, and I am beginning to wonder whether there’s a dime’s worth of difference between Israpundit Jews and the rabble protesting in Tel Aviv.
I honestly don’t expect any sort of clarification about any of this from the pundits here — I’m just letting y’all know that what’s going on, and the verbage coming from this site, has not done much to improve the world’s perception of Judaism. I am really glad, for your sake, that Hashem has claimed you for His own, and that He has taken on the responsibility for taking care of you. If these matters were up to me, rather than to my Maker, I wouldn’t be naturally inclined to feel so charitable.
I wonder that no one has picked up on the slogan: follow the money. Too bad there is no investigative journalist to take a hard look at the money flowing to these ‘organizers’. My suspicion is that the international NGO’s, several of which are funded by the traitor to the Jewish people, George Soros, have spent considerable sums on these protests. How much these ‘organizers’ have skimmed off for themselves would be something we should know. In much the same way as the ‘organizers’ of the BLM movement appropriated money to buy real estate.
“Unable?” Did they use water cannons, tear gas, knockout gas, clubs, tanks, rubber bullets? These are insurrectionists! Are optics really everything? The same sort of people dubbed the Jan. 6 protestors, insurrectionists and condoned brutal tactics while exonerating Antifa and BLM. The same sort that condoned the brutal suppression of protestors against Oslo and the ongong repression against Yesha Jews. Smash the hypocritical traitors.