Israel/ Court overturns Netanyahu's law

2024-01-02 17:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Photo taken from Reuters

Israel's highest court has struck down a key piece of judicial reform pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu's government and which prompted hundreds of thousands of Israelis to protest frequently last year. The court made the decision by a narrow majority, because only eight of the fifteen judges were in favor of this decision.

By changing the law, Netanyahu wanted to remove the court's ability to react to "inappropriate" decisions by the government, prime minister or ministers.

The Israeli opposition saw it as an attack on the independent judiciary. It is also seen as an opportunity for the government to open the door to corruption that no one could prosecute.

Netanyahu's cabinet, on the other hand, argued that the judiciary in Israel has far-reaching powers compared to the executive branch and that a balance must be struck.

Divided society

In the decision by which the court annulled this provision, it was said that this type of judicial reform would cause "serious and incomparable harm to the key principles of Israel as a democratic state".

Netanyahu's attempt to weaken the judiciary last year brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets in what was considered one of the biggest protests in Israel's history, and possibly the largest. There were clashes with the police, attacks, attempts at mediation by the US, but they failed.

A recent poll shows that Israeli society is also divided on the issue - 46 percent of citizens polled opposed the reform, only 35 percent sided with Netanyahu, while the rest were undecided.

The controversial law, passed last summer, was supposed to be the first in a series to reform the judiciary. These efforts were interrupted by terrorist attacks by Hamas in early October, when 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 of them ended up as hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Israel has been waging war against Hamas, which the EU, Germany, the US and other countries consider a terrorist organization.

In the bombing of Gaza and during the ground intervention of the Israeli army, about 22,000 people have been killed so far, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas.

Will Netanyahu accept the decision?

The question is how Netanyahu, who is at the head of the government for the fifteenth consecutive year, will accept the court's decision. If he refuses, Israel is threatened with a new state crisis.

Likud, the prime minister's right-wing party, has already said the court's decision contradicts the "will of the people" for unity in times of war. The party complains that the court announced the decision at a time when "Israeli soldiers from the right and the left are fighting and risking their lives".

Justice Minister Yariv Levin reacted in similar tones. "The decision, unprecedented in a Western democracy, will not discourage us. As the fight continues on different fronts, we will continue to act with restraint and responsibility."

On the other hand, the Movement for Quality Governance, which had filed eight appeals against the law in the highest court, declared that it was a historic decision. "This is a great public victory for those who fight for democracy," the movement said.

Opposition leader Jair Lapid also welcomed the court's decision. "If the Israeli government starts debating the Supreme Court again, it means it has learned nothing."

The decision is a new blow for Netanyahu. According to polls, his popularity has fallen sharply since the Hamas attacks. Many blame him for not accepting personal responsibility for Israel's unpreparedness for the attacks carried out so far./ DW