The dispute over the controversial judicial reform in Israel continues. On Friday, the Attorney General accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of violating the law by making statements about his personal interference in the planned judicial reform.
“The legal position is clear: you must stay out of any initiative to change the judiciary, including the composition of the committee appointing judges, as this is a conflict of interest,” Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara wrote in a letter to the prime minister. Netanyahu previously said he would do whatever it takes to find a solution to the dispute. The Attorney General countered on Friday that his testimony was illegal, as were any actions he was taking on the matter.
She had previously warned him against interfering in his right-wing religious coalition’s plans for judicial reform, as several corruption cases were pending against him. Netanyahu denies all allegations in this regard. Parliament ratified a law on Thursday that makes it more difficult to remove prime ministers. This change is also controversial.
In a comment distributed by the ruling Likud party, a person close to Netanyahu said his comments were not a conflict of interest. It is up to the prime minister to try to build consensus in a national crisis.
The focus of the reform is the procedure for selecting judges. The government wants to increase its influence and limit the powers of the Supreme Court. She justified this with the accusation that judges had interfered in politics. Critics, on the other hand, accuse the government of conservatives, religious fundamentalists and ultra-right nationalists of wanting to restrict the independence of the judiciary. According to her, democracy is at stake. (Reuters)
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