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☆ Explainer: Uproar over Israel judicial changes - what's it all about?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Many among Israel's right-wingers say the Supreme Court is left-leaning, elitist and overreaches into the political sphere, while often putting minority rights before national interests. The government has been pushing for changes that would limit the Supreme Court's powers to rule against the legislature and the executive, while giving lawmakers decisive powers in appointing judges. Critics fear Netanyahu wants to leverage the judicial push to freeze or cancel his trial, which he has denied. The left-wing opposition also says his nationalist allies want to weaken the Supreme Court to establish more settlements on land the Palestinians seek for a state. Some of the coalition's proposed changes now sit with the Knesset's plenum, where they await a first reading out of three needed to be written into law.

☆ Biden urges consensus in Israel on judiciary plans as protest mounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has called for wide agreement to be reached in Israel on sweeping changes to the judiciary pushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government which have sparked nationwide protests. Israel's parliament may on Monday begin the legislation process of the judicial overhaul, which would increase the government's sway in selecting judges while weakening Supreme Court power to strike down laws or rule against the executive. Building consensus for fundamental changes is really important to ensure that the people buy into them so they can be sustained." He was referring to a Supreme Court ruling on Friday instructing Netanyahu and his government to submit a response to a petition demanding the premier be declared incapacitated over his legal situation. Many legal experts, economists and former security and economic officials, who include Netanyahu confidants and appointments, have come out against the government's judicial plans.

☆ Israeli judicial reform legislation won't be halted, justice minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Israel's justice minister said on Sunday he would not freeze "for even a minute" the legislative process for proposed judicial reforms that have drawn widespread condemnation both domestically and globally. Israel's Justice Minister Yariv Levin's comments to Hebrew media's Channel 13 followed a statement earlier in the day from Israeli president Isaac Herzog, calling for the process to be temporarily halted. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the reforms are needed to curb overreach by judges. Critics say the proposed changes will politicize the judiciary and compromise its independence, foster corruption and harm Israel's legal protection abroad and its economy. The Israeli president, who was appointed and not elected, has previously called for all sides of the debate to defuse the tension and try to reach a common understanding.

☆ Israel's attorney-general tells Netanyahu to stay out of push for judicial changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must stay out of his government's push to overhaul the judicial system because he has a conflict of interest, the country's attorney-general said on Thursday, adding to growing friction over the plan. In a statement on why Netanyahu should not be involved, Gali Baharav-Miara cited the premier's ongoing corruption trial, in which he has denied wrongdoing. Coalition lawmaker Simcha Rothman said the judicial overhaul has nothing to do with the criminal case against Netanyahu and Baharav-Miara's instruction would have no impact on advancing the changes. Apparently seeking to assuage fears investors will bolt Israel if the changes become law, Netanyahu has defended the plan, saying it will help cut back unnecessary litigation. S&P Global Ratings director Maxim Rybnikov has told Reuters the judicial shake-up could pressure Israel's sovereign credit rating and dozens of economists have urged Netanyahu to scrap the plan.

☆ Israel Supreme Court tells Netanyahu he must fire minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Interior and Health Minister Aryeh Deri gestures as he sits next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/PoolJERUSALEM, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Israel's Supreme Court ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to remove a senior minister over a past tax fraud conviction, in a setback for the new right-wing coalition government. The 10-to-one ruling on Shas party leader Aryeh Deri looks likely to further stoke tensions between the Cabinet and Israel's Supreme Court over government reform plans which aim to rein in the top court. "Most of the judges have determined that this appointment is extremely unreasonable and thus the prime minister must remove Deri from office," said a court summary of the ruling. Political watchdogs had appealed to the Supreme Court to order Netanyahu to strike down Deri's appointment given his recent conviction as well as past offences.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu defends plan to rein in judiciary
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In a video response to stark criticism by Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, Netanyahu said the draft law could be tweaked but critics were exaggerating the changes proposed. Hayut on Thursday said that if implemented as outlined by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform would compromise judiciary independence. "If the plan is realized, (Israel's) 75th anniversary will be remembered as the year the country's democratic integrity suffered a mortal blow," he said. Backers of the bill have long accused the Supreme Court of overreach and elitism. They say the changes would restore balance between the judiciary, executive and legislature.

☆ Israel's top judge says government judicial reform plan will crush justice system
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The president of Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday said that a judicial reform plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government would crush the justice system and undermine the country's democracy. The proposal, Hayut said in a televised speech, "is not a plan to fix the justice system but a plan to crush it." Netanyahu's justice minister, Yariv Levin, later defended the reform he is championing and criticized what he referred to as "a call to set the streets on fire." He said his plan will restore balance between the branches of government in light of judicial overreach. Netanyahu, who took office as prime minister again last month, says he will preserve the judiciary's independence.

Rybnikov, the main credit analyst for Israel, said risks to the country's ratings are currently balanced but that could change. The past year has seen some of the worst violence in the West Bank in years. On Thursday, the pro-settlements Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich met with defence officials to begin transferring some West Bank administration powers over to him, according to a Finance Ministry statement. "Hardline rhetoric that undermines the fragile situation in the West Bank could generate risks as well," Rybnikov said. Rybnikov projects Israel's budget deficit at 2% of gross domestic product this year after a 0.6% surplus in 2022.

☆ Netanyahu government unveils plan to rein in Israel's top court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new hard-right Israeli government unveiled a plan on Wednesday that would allow parliament to overturn some Supreme Court rulings and grant the government more say in nominations to the bench. Israelis opposed to the measures defend the court as a bulwark for minority rights and a separation of synagogue and state. Netanyahu, who returned to power after winning a Nov. 1 election, is on trial for corruption on charges he denies. On Thursday, the Supreme Court is due to hear appeals against the appointment of ultra-Orthodox Jewish politician Aryeh Deri as cabinet minister despite his having been convicted of tax fraud. Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid said he would fight against the proposed measures and "cancel them when we return to power."

☆ Israel's president opens talks ahead of expected Netanyahu mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Herzog began consultations with political parties on Wednesday, meeting representatives from Netanyahu's Likud party, to be followed by meetings with other party representatives over the coming days. He said he expected to complete the talks on Friday and assign the task of forming a government on Sunday. Last week's election saw Netanyahu end a stalemate after five elections in less than four years. "There is a clear mandate from most of the public to form a right-wing government," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, Herzog issued a statement dismissing local reports that he was pushing for a unity government with outgoing centrist premier Yair Lapid and National Unity party leader Benny Gantz.

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