According to the Prime Minister, the judicial reform proposed by his government does not weaken democracy in the country.
the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahusaid on Sunday (30.Apr.2023), that the country will continue to be a “robust democracy”, even with plans to judicial system reform.
“One thing I guarantee you: at the end of this process, Israel – which was a democracy, is a democracy – will remain a robust democracy.”, he said in an interview with CNN.
The judicial reform proposed by the Netanyahu administration seeks to change the process of appointing and removing Supreme Court justices, increasing the government’s influence in the country’s judiciary. Critics say the reform threatens the independence of the judicial system and could weaken democracy in Israel.
The project was approved in 1st round by the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, on February 13. On February 21, the Legislative Assembly voted to move forward with the reform. The next day, the House approved the project in preliminary reading and it sent the Constitution, Law and Justice Commission, where it would be discussed before returning to Parliament to be sanctioned.
Since the document was presented, demonstrators have taken to the streets of Israel to protest. On March 27, the Israeli government postponed the decision on reform because of the escalation of acts and strikes.
For protesters, the proposal would aim to weaken the Supreme Court, the system of checks and balances of institutions and poses a threat to democracy.
Netanyahu told CNN that the weeks of demonstrations were “a sign of the robustness of the public debate”. The premier said he is working to resolve the issue “with the widest possible consensus”.
The premier has indicated he may be moving away from one of the most controversial aspects of the reform: giving parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions by a simple majority.
“We can’t swing the pendulum from one side – the most activist judicial branch on the planet – to the other side, where you would have Parliament essentially overruling Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority.”, said Netanyahu.
“Israel has lost its balance”, he stated. “The big challenge is to bring [o país] back to a balance that is accepted in most democracies, without going to the side that would actually remove the checks and balances on majority power”, said the Prime Minister
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