Thousands of Israelis protested this Monday in front of the Supreme Court of Israel in Jerusalem, against the Government’s restriction of the powers of this court, which will be debated by the judges on Tuesday.
The protesters waved Israeli flags and signs with the word “Freedom”, in an initiative that brought together thousands of people against the Government’s decisions, which had already triggered one of the deepest internal crises in the country’s history.
On Tuesday, all 15 judges of Israel’s Supreme Court will appear in court for the first time to hear appeals from human rights groups against the first part of the reform, which the government approved in Parliament in July.
The law nullifies the court’s ability to block lawsuits and government appointments using the legal concept of “reasonableness.”
Multiple Supreme Court hearings in the coming weeks put the country’s top judges in the unprecedented position of defending their own independence and deciding their own destiny.
The court faces enormous public pressure to stop the reform, but if that happens, Netanyahu’s government could still ignore the ruling, setting the stage for a constitutional crisis over who has final authority.
Members of Netanyahu’s government have already indicated that they will not respect the decision if the court rules against the reform.
Among them, the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, released a video in which he declared himself “against the surrender.”
“Reform is important for the State of Israel,” said the minister, rejecting the ongoing negotiations to find a solution to the conflict.
Supporters of Netanyahu’s far-right, ultra-Orthodox government say the law will prevent unelected liberal judges from interfering in the decisions of elected lawmakers and argue that the court should not rule on a law that limits its authority.
Critics of the reform describe it as a blow to democracy, arguing that Israel’s judiciary represents the main check on the powers of the prime minister and his majority coalition in parliament.
Opponents of the regime also say the prime minister has a conflict of interest in trying to change the legal system at a time when he is on trial on corruption charges.
Source: TSF
