Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a softening of his government's judicial reform plan today, Monday. He appears ready to pass a package of reforms before the Knesset's parliamentary recess, which begins on April 2nd. However, he and his allies in the National Religious Coalition announced a postponement of most aspects of the plan until the Knesset reconvenes on April 30th.
A statement issued today confirmed that he will continue to consider the authority of judges in the selection committee and the use of what he termed an "automatic veto right" over nominations to the judiciary. The statement highlighted amendments made to the bill during a review session held by the Knesset yesterday, Sunday, which will expand the selection committee from 9 to 11 members, as originally proposed, while structuring it to give the government less influence.
The original bill stipulated that the committee would consist of 3 ministers, 2 from the ruling coalition's deputies, and 2 public figures chosen by the government, granting the government a majority of 7 to 4 in votes. In the revised version, the committee will include 3 ministers, 3 coalition deputies, 3 judges, and 2 opposition deputies, resulting in a narrower majority for the government with 6 votes to 5. The amended bill also specifies that more than two judges cannot be appointed to the Supreme Court during a regular vote in a single session. Any appointments exceeding this must be approved by a majority vote, including at least one judge and one opposition deputy from the selection committee.
The coalition's statement said, "We extend our hand to anyone who truly cares about national unity and seeks to reach a consensual solution." Netanyahu urged the opposition to reconsider the project after they pledged to boycott the vote in the Knesset and called for protests that have even reached the Israeli military ranks.
