Israel’s Netanyahu accused of ‘eliminating democracy’ amid judicial reform row

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “eliminating democracy” in Israel amid a row over a proposed judicial reform.

"This is not judicial reform, this is extreme regime change [...] this is cutting Israel off from the family of liberal countries," Lapid said on Twitter.

Lapid, a former premier, warned that the proposed changes would allow the current coalition government to silence any person who goes against it and would turn the judges into politicians.

"The judges will be the judges of the government," Lapid said in a meeting for his Yesh Atid (There is Future) Party.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin plans a comprehensive reform of the judicial system, which if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.

The proposed changes will severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, and give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the Attorney General.

On Sunday, Netanyahu defended the proposed judicial reform, saying the changes aim to “represent the voters’ will.”

The planned judicial reform was also decried by former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who said the changes would lead to "civil war," and will have "a fatal impact" on Israel’s national security.

Netanyahu's government was sworn in on December 29, following elections in November, which gave his right-right bloc a simple majority to form a new government.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar