‘Disgrace to the Right’: Ministers slam Smotrich’s plea for compromise at vote on ‘reasonableness’ bill

“Reasonableness is a worldview. It’s not contract law, it’s not evidence law, it’s not a legal matter,” Levin said.

By World Israel News Staff

Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Monday morning announced that negotiations to reach a compromise had failed as the Knesset began voting on the judicial reform.

In what was surprising to observers, right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an appeal to reach a compromise, despite Lapid’s earlier statement.

“Unfortunately, parts of the coalition are negotiating with each other and considering reaching a compromise that would overturn the bill. Any compromise in the votes on the “reasonableness bill” would be a disgrace to the entire right,” said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

In earlier remarks in the morning, Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin, an architect of the reforms, argued that reasonableness is a gray area that would depend on the judges’ personal opinions.

“You [judges] want to decide what’s reasonable and what’s not, instead of the people chosen by the nation? That’s reasonable?” he asked.

“Who said that what is reasonable in the eyes of the judges is even the logical thing to do? Who decided that their personal positions are better than those of the [elected] ministers?…

“Reasonableness is a worldview. It’s not contract law, it’s not evidence law, it’s not a legal matter,” he said.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has also been pushing for compromise. Already in April, he appealed to the government, in an address to the nation, for a halt to the reforms – a move that cost him his job, albeit only for a short period. Following pressure, the prime minister returned him to his post.

At a large pro-reform demonstration in Tel Aviv Sunday night, Smotrich told the crowd that he empathized with opponents of the reform, including reservists who announced their intention to abstain from reserve duty.

“I know how you feel. I know that such complex moves need to be gradually and with compromise, so we were also willing to give up and compromise on some of the steps in our reform,” he said.

Still striving to reach a compromise at the 11th hour, President Isaac Herzog said that the country is “in a state of national emergency.”

During the voting, protesters tried to break into the Knesset and were evicted; there were several arrests.