The government intends to pass the Reasonableness Doctrine bill's first reading within two weeks, and has decided to pass it into law by the end of the current Knesset sitting on July 31, a source in the coalition said on Tuesday.
In parallel, after the Reasonableness Doctrine bill passes its first reading, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other ministers will decide whether to advance additional bills connected to the judicial reform prior to July 31, based on timetables, the source said.
While the government also "takes into consideration" the public discourse, reports that the government would decide how to proceed mainly based on the intensity of protests was incorrect, since the protest "has for a long time no longer been about the reform but against the election results," the source claimed.
The Reasonableness Doctrine bill seeks to block Israel's courts from reviewing or striking down executive decisions based on their "extreme unreasonableness."
The Reasonableness Doctrine as part of the judicial reforms
The bill is part of the package of bills first proposed by the coalition in January, that comprise what is known as the "judicial reforms."
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee began to discuss the bill on Sunday after talks at the President's Residence over the reforms broke down on June 14 following the prime minister's decision to avoid electing both of the Knesset representatives for the Judicial Selection Committee, attempting instead to push off both appointments by up to 30 days. The move was only partially successful, as at least four coalition MKs sided with the opposition to elect Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar to the committee. A vote for the second committee member must be held by July 13.
The resumption of one-sided legislation led to IDF reservists earlier this week threatening that they would cease volunteering to reserve duty if the bill continued to advance.