There is still time for the government to stop its legislation of the controversial reasonableness standard bill and reach an agreement with the opposition on judicial reforms, opposition leader and Yesh Atid chairman MK Yair Lapid and National Unity chairman MK Benny Gantz said on Monday.
"I call on the government to stop. It is not too late. We can still come together for a joint, wise process, with professional input, and arrive at a compromise that will fix the [judicial] system instead of ruining it to its core," Lapid said during a press conference ahead of his Yesh Atid's party's weekly meeting.
The government of Israel was leading the country to a "national disaster" while refusing to recognize it, Lapid charged. In addition to the legislation that the government is advancing regarding the reasonableness standard is "anti-democratic," the government is also acting with "terrible and dangerous amateurism," the opposition leader said.
Lapid bemoaned what he claimed to be the government's disregard for facts.
"This government does not refuse to hear opinions – it refuses to hear facts, data, [and] professionals. Not because they [the government] know everything, but because they prefer not to know anything," Lapid said, echoing criticism of fellow Yesh Atid members in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee earlier on Monday, who argued that chairman MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party) had not given enough time for professionals from government ministries to give their opinions on the reasonableness standard bill.
Gantz also called for the resumption of talks ahead of his party's weekly meeting. "It is not too late to stop and return to talks. A leader must make tough decisions – and this is the time to make them. Netanyahu, do not tear apart the nation," Gantz said.
"There will come a time when the government will take advantage of its unlimited power that you wish to grant."
MK Benny Gantz
The national unity chairman accused the prime minister of "galloping into a wall," which he said was "a lack of responsibility on national and defense matters."
"There will come a time when the government will take advantage of its unlimited power that you wish to grant," Gantz added. "Mr. prime minister, I wish you good health and long years – but these days are leading me to the conclusion that your heart has shut out the people of Israel," he said.
Next reform step will change Judicial Selection Committee makeup
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said to the press following his Religious Zionist Party's weekly meeting that the heads of the coalition parties were in joint agreement that the next step in the government's judicial reform would be to alter the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee.
In an answer to The Jerusalem Post earlier on Monday over whether it is necessary to push through the divisive judicial reform bill right before the Tisha B'av fast day, in which Jews mourn the destruction of the first and second temples as well as other national calamities, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that "it's fine" and that with the Knesset break scheduled to begin on July 31, "it's better to pass it now," even if there are continued protests.
The "Kaplan Force" umbrella protest movement said in response to Smotrich's comment regarding the Judicial Selection Committee, "The fantasies of the heads of the coalition parties to turn Israel into a dictatorship are revealed every day. Netanyahu wants to subjugate judges, to make extremely unreasonable decisions, he is ready to crush the army and the economy and tear apart the nation in order to turn into the Israeli Putin. Tomorrow is a dramatic day in which clear lines will be drawn: the dictatorship will not pass, we will not enable Netanyahu to destroy the Zionist project."