On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plans to alter the judicial selection committee. This is a reaction to the outcry over planned laws severely limiting the Supreme Court’s power.
Netanyahu said the makeup of the body charged with choosing judges will be the subject of the next round of judicial reform.
Proponents of the bill say it restores harmony between the branches of government, while opponents say it removes necessary balances on executive authority. Protests have been held at the national level, and the proposed transformation of the court system has been criticized at home and abroad.
Last month, the coalition approved a bill that stripped the courts of their ability to overturn laws because they were unconstitutionally vague.
Netanyahu said he would like the government to stay out of the central bank’s decision-making, and he even brought up the notion of asking the present director to stay on.
A representative for Israel’s opposition movement stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was gaslighting the world community with his contentious proposals.
The government had just completed the first of a series of measures that the opposition parties and the most significant protest movement in Israeli history claim would strike a death blow to democracy. For many Israelis, the most radical plan is the government’s next step in the reform, which is to revamp the committee that picks judges.
Mr. Netanyahu tried to allay fears that civil war was imminent in Israel by explaining recent demonstrations and strikes by military reservists and other workers as the inevitable result of tensions between groups whose perspectives had not yet converged.
The Prime Minister’s statements were panned by the opposition party Yesh Atid, which said the PM showed signs of weakness and dishonesty.
Netanyahu said he intends to get a measure granting the government extensive power over the nomination of new judges passed by the end of November. He also said he would be shelving the other legislative plans. The prime minister said he wanted to negotiate an agreement with the opposition on the bill.
Netanyahu’s reassurances that a portion of the makeover would be deferred have not allayed fears.
A day following the interview, it was reported that the Israeli shekel and foreign bonds had not risen in value despite the rising stock market.
