Israeli Justice Minister castigates the ‘post-Zionist’ Supreme Court, vows return of judicial reform

Yariv Levin excoriates judicial activism in Israeli court system, prompting former Justice Minister to urge Levin to ‘get hospitalized.’

By World Israel News Staff

Israel’s Justice Minister took aim at the country’s activist judiciary Wednesday, while vowing to rein in the court system by bringing back the shelved overhaul plan.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Knesset plenum debated a proposed amendment to the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.

The amendment, proposed by the Opposition faction Yesh Atid, would officially insert the principle of equality into the Basic Law. Thus far, the principle of equality has never been written into the Basic Law, though the Supreme Court has read it into the quasi-constitutional code.

The proposal, drafted by Labor MK Gilad Kariv, was easily defeated in the Knesset plenum.

During the preceding debate, Levin castigated Yesh Atid for endorsing the measure to the Knesset, accusing the party of hypocrisy after having vociferously protested the government’s attempt to reform the judiciary.

“We are not allowed to do anything, but you are allowed to promote a Basic Law that is at the core of the issues in dispute and at the core of what is being discussed at the President’s Residence,” Levin said, referencing negotiations brokered by President Isaac Herzog to reach a deal on judicial reform.

Levin told Opposition lawmakers the government would bring his judicial reform plan back to the agenda, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelved it ahead of the Passover holiday, amid nationwide protests.

“We have stopped being naïve. We will fix the judicial system. We are not impressed by the threats you make against us.”

The Justice Minister went on to accuse the Supreme Court of “post-Zionist” judicial activism, and Israel’s court’s of betraying Israeli victims of Arab terror in Gaza.

“The blood of the victims murdered in terrorist attacks in Gush Katif cries out to us till this very day, after the judicial system – which you want to give even more unlimited tools and power to – turned its back on their blood.”

“We all have a problem that post-Zionist agendas have entered the judicial system and the Supreme Court in particular, which are used for completely different things, to erase Zionism.”

Israeli courtJudicial reformKnessetYariv LevinYesh Atid