Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, as reported by the "Wall Street Journal" on Thursday, that he "will abandon the most controversial part of his plan to amend the judicial system," specifically the clause granting parliament the authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions. In an interview with the newspaper, Netanyahu indicated that he would also reconsider another contentious clause concerning the ruling coalition's powers in appointing judges, but added that "he does not yet know how the new version of the amendments will look."
Netanyahu revealed his plan to amend the judicial system shortly after returning to power at the beginning of the year, contending that "the Supreme Court is increasingly encroaching on political domains where it has no authority."
In the same interview, Netanyahu mentioned that "Israel is assisting Ukraine with civil defenses and an alert system, but cannot provide Kyiv with military systems such as Iron Dome for intercepting missiles." He added, "We are also concerned about the possibility of the systems we will give to Ukraine falling into Iranian hands and having their operating systems changed, leading us to face Israeli systems being used against Israel."
He pointed out "the arrival of Western anti-tank systems to the Lebanese Hezbollah group." He stated, "If the Iron Dome system, which has intercepted thousands of missiles, falls into Iranian hands, millions of Israelis will be at risk. We do not stand neutral; we have expressed our sympathy for Ukraine and our position on it. But I say we have limits and constraints, and we have concerns and interests.”
Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges that he denies, has appeared to backtrack on judicial amendments on several occasions, yet his coalition continues to insist on pushing for reforms that could limit the Supreme Court's authority regarding its decisions against the government. Opposition leaders have not yet reacted to Netanyahu's latest statements.
Last week, Israeli lawmakers began discussing a bill that would limit the Supreme Court's powers, again bringing to light the judicial reform plans sought by Netanyahu's religious-nationalist government which have sparked public protests. The amendments have also raised Western concerns about the state of democracy in Israel and caused investor fears. Opponents of these amendments view them as Netanyahu's attempt to reduce the court's independence.
