Despite harsh condemnation from top legal officials and protests against the changes that drew tens of thousands of people, Israeli Prime Minister leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his government intends to move forward with an overhaul of the country’s judicial system. The growing opposition to the legal changes, which Netanyahu has made the centrepiece of his new government’s agenda, is Netanyahu’s first significant hurdle.
The escalating opposition to the legal changes, which Netanyahu, who is facing a corruption trial, has made the center of his new government’s agenda, is posing an early challenge for the Israeli leader. The changes, according to critics, could either help Netanyahu avoid conviction in his corruption trial or completely end the prosecution.
The overhaul would lessen the influence of the Supreme Court, give the government more control over judicial appointments, and curtail the independence of government legal advisors. Legislators would be able to pass laws that the Supreme Court has invalidated with a simple majority. The top judge of the SC has expressed outrage at the proposed amendments, calling them a “unbridled attack on the justice system” in a rare criticism. Netanyahu informed his Cabinet that people supported his vow to overhaul the justice system by casting ballots in the recent elections.
Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, has stepped to mediate the dispute over the court modifications despite often playing a primarily symbolic role. Herzog said in a statement that he had met with several politicians in an effort to avert “an historic constitutional crisis.” On Saturday, dozens of protesters demonstrated in front of his Jerusalem residence.
According to Netanyahu, the amendment will be done out slowly and under parliamentary oversight.
(With inputs from AP)
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