Israel's reasonableness standard law takes effect amid protests
Israel begins to see economic ramifications of judicial reform • High Court hearing on new bill set for after summer recess
What is the next stage of the Israeli government's judicial reform?
The next bill that the coalition will likely promote is on the Judicial Selection Committee, perhaps the most contentious issue of judicial reform.
With the passing of the reasonableness standard bill on Monday, leaders on both sides of the debate have indicated that they believe that it is a non-decisive battle in a longer war.
The next bill that the coalition will likely promote, if negotiations don't resume as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed on Monday night, is on the Judicial Selection Committee.
The Judicial Selection Committee is perhaps the most contentious issue of judicial reform, a matter where experts, NGOs and negotiating parties have said were unable to even approach consensus.
Go to the full article >>Levin and Gallant battled over the judicial reforms, Levin triumphed - analysis
Levin prevailed. Compromise failed, and the bill passed. What were the proposals, and what can they inform us about the future of the judicial reforms?
For long minutes during the voting on the contentious Law to Cancel the Reasonableness Standard on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat at the head of the government’s crescent-shaped row on the Knesset floor and listened while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to his right and Justice Minister Yariv Levin to his left argued spiritedly over last-minute proposals for compromise with the opposition.
The image was a symbol of the times: Gallant, concerned about the implications of the judicial reform on the IDF, tried to convince the prime minister to compromise. Levin, the judicial reform hawk, argued the opposite – and Netanyahu was caught in the middle.
Levin prevailed. Compromise failed, and the bill passed. What were the proposals, and what can they inform us about the future of the judicial reforms?
Go to the full article >>The government's bill won, but Israel lost - opinion
The coalition's passing of the bill restricting the use of the reasonableness standard simply affirmed that the current government only represents half the country.
Monday was a dark day in this nation’s history.
The Knesset’s passage of the bill severely limiting the reasonableness standard was an expression of hubris and hard-heartedness, of deafness to the cries of half the nation.
As voting took place in the Knesset plenum, protesters clashed with police in the streets surrounding the legislature. Coalition and opposition members shouted epithets at one another, while over at the government table, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant could be seen in heated conversation with Justice Minister Yariv Levin as Prime Minister Netanyahu sat impassively between them.
Go to the full article >>Israel's leaders must represent all Israelis - analysis
The coalition has won this battle. Now, it must realize that half the country feels as if it lost. The government needs to mollify those feelings.
Now that the Knesset passed the contentious Law to curb the courts’ ability to strike down government and ministerial actions as unreasonable, three things are needed to enable this country to return to normalcy.
The coalition needs to show magnanimity, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to demonstrate leadership, and the Opposition and protest movement leaders must exhibit responsibility.
In this case, each of these three actors will need to rise above themselves because, during the judicial overhaul saga, none of them have exhibited those traits up until now—one of the reasons that the country is currently in the state that it is.
Go to the full article >>Netanyahu continues to speak to Presiden Herzog amid vote
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to speak to President Isaac Herzog on Monday as the Knesset voted on the reasonableness standard.
Smotrich makes last-ditch compromise attempt, colleagues rebuff
He reportedly requested to postpone legislation for at least six months; the offer was roundly rejected by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly tried to arrange a last-minute compromise in the Knesset plenum during the reasonableness clause vote on Monday, according to Israeli media.
He reportedly requested to postpone legislation for at least six months; the offer was roundly rejected by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Go to the full article >>Smotrich makes last-ditch compromise attempt, colleagues rebuff
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly tried to arrange a last-minute compromise in the Knesset plenum during the reasonableness clause vote on Monday, according to Israeli media.
He reportedly requested to postpone legislation for at least six months; the offer was roundly rejected by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Go to the full article >>LIVE: Knesset votes on controversial reasonableness bill
Gantz: A majority in the Knesset do not want this bill to pass
Opposition members have announced that they will boycott the reasonableness clause's third reading.
A majority of Knesset members do not support passing the reasonableness standard bill without reaching a compromise, the National Unity chairman said in the Knesset plenum on Monday, as the debate over the controversial bill came to a close and voting was set to begin.
But the Knesset members from the coalition who opposed the legislation were being held hostage by the extremist elements in the coalition who were not interested in compromise, Gantz said. The National Unity leader added that passing the bill would harm cohesiveness in the IDF and thus damage Israel's national security.
Go to the full article >>Scenes from the streets: Protests engulf Israel for second day in a row
As the government prepares to vote on the first piece of judicial reform legislation, take a look at some of the highlights of Monday's events as they develop:
As the government reaches the end of a marathon debate before the third and final vote on the reasonableness standard bill scheduled to take place on Monday afternoon, protests outside the Knesset and across Israel continue to heat up.
Take a look at some of the highlights of Monday's events as they develop:
Go to the full article >>Israel's Judicial Reform
- The Knesset passed the bill to cancel the reasonableness standard into law on Monday, marking the first part of the government’s contentious judicial reform to pass into law