Never in the 75-year history of the state Israel Something similar was seen. 15 judges Supreme CourtIn other words, all members of the court came together to participate in a historic hearing for the first time since its establishment in 1948. This Tuesday, the justices are hearing petitions for and against the first law. judicial reform It was supported by the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli streets have been turbulent for days protests The unprecedented civil movement that arose as a result of this legislative project that they felt was dangerous to them. democracy.
“Today, we are here together with millions of citizens to stop this massacre.” explosion between state” he said from the judicial center Eliad ShragaThe head of the Quality Government Movement in Israel is responsible for presenting the petition, along with other civil society groups. “Together we will protect Israeli democracy,” he argued. Right-wing activists also expressed their opinions at the door of the Supreme Court. “The people are sovereign!” about forty people holding signs claiming they voted for Netanyahu, not the chief justice of the supreme court. yell. Esther Hayut. At this hearing, judges must decide whether to impose limits on their powers, as this is the aim of the reasonableness law approved by Parliament in July.
This law was implemented with MPs receiving 64 votes in favor and against. opposition They left the general assembly meeting in protest. detects: judges They can no longer override ministerial decisions using the legal standard of “reasonableness,” thus ending one of the amendments to the Basic Laws of the Israeli democratic system. HE hebrew state It has no constitution but operates based on 13 basic laws. The Supreme Court has the authority to annul laws that conflict with some fundamental laws of the Constitutional Court. Since he was given this power in the 1990s, he has done so twenty times to avoid government decisions or appointments deemed unsound or corrupt.
36 weeks of protest
So far, the Supreme Court has not annulled a fundamental law it was trying to decide. An unprecedented aspect of the event may lead to an incident. constitutional crisis without precedent. In recent weeks, the ruling government has been conservative Israel has issued stern warnings against the court in its history. Netanyahu and his allies far right They feel that they have no power to overturn the law and that this could “lead to anarchy.” Emir OhanaThe speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, predicts a “cliff” and confirms that the legislature “will not meekly allow itself to be trampled.” Netanyahu did not say whether he would comply with the court’s decision. “I hope we don’t get to that point,” he said.
Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets for 36 consecutive weeks to protest this situation. argument judicial reform. They argue the importance of guaranteeing these powers of the Supreme Court, which is the guarantor of Israel’s secular character and the protector of Israel. minorities and as a bulwark against it authoritarianism their leaders. Throughout this Tuesday, Israeli masses once again threw themselves at the doors of institutional buildings to defend their democracy.
while Polarization It has already spread throughout Israel. A poll by the Israel Democracy Institute finds that 34 percent of Israelis believe petitions to repeal the law should be accepted, 37 percent believe they should be rejected, and 29 percent do not know. The Supreme Court may grant an extension until January to decide whether to allow the Executive branch to take power that it considers disproportionate, but which allows the Government to exercise some control over itself.