Israeli opposition rejects gov't proposal for appointing Supreme Court judges

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli opposition parties on Monday rejected a government proposal to appoint judges of the Supreme Court as part of its controversial judicial overhaul plan.

They said the proposal by Israel’s ruling coalition will keep the government dominant over the appointment of the judges.

"This is not a compromise, this is a hostile political takeover on the judicial system," opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Twitter. "That's what we have warned against from the first moment."

Lapid said he will file a petition with the Supreme Court if the government proposal on the appointment of judges is passed.

After passing such bill, Israel will then "cease to be a democratic state," he added.

Benny Gantz, head of National Unity Party, said no talks will be held to resolve the crisis as long as the appointment of judges is politically motivated and unilaterally taken.

He said talks, however, can happen based on President Isaac Herzog’s plan to solve the crisis on the proposed judicial overhaul.

Last week, Herzog offered a mediatory proposal to solve the ongoing crisis aims to avoid divisions among Israelis. The proposal, however, was rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel has seen mass protests over the past two months over Netanyahu’s plans for judicial overhaul, seen by the opposition as an attempt to reduce the powers of the judicial authority in favor of the executive authority.

Proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform, if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.

The planned change would severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the attorney general.

However, Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, insists that his judicial plan would enhance democracy and would restore balance between the legislative, executive, and judicial authorities.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar