Israeli Coalition Moving Forward With Legislation, While Mulling Diluted Version Of Reforms

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In the face of huge public and international pressure opposing the proposed judicial reforms in the Knesset, the Israeli coalition is considering modifying some of the legislative bills making up the reforms. Despite this, the coalition is currently advancing the legislation in the Knesset prior to the Pesach vacation.

The chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee, MK Simcha Rothman, is expected to present a diluted version of the first part of the judicial reform, which concerns the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee and the prevention of judicial review of basic laws, according to a report by Kan 11 Saturday night.

The coalition aims to approve these two laws by the end of the current Knesset session, in about two weeks and, as such, marathon discussions on the legislation will begin in the Law and Constitution Committee next week.

Sources involved in the negotiations said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is pressing to reach a compromise on the judicial reform, but Justice Minister Yariv Levin still refuses to do so and demands that the law that would change the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee be approved without changes being made to it.

At the same time, a senior member of one of the charedi parties said over the weekend that they are ready to compromise on an Override Clause by a majority of 61 MKs in exchange for a “comfortable” draft law.

The chareidim realized that many of the laws will coincide with the end of the Knesset session in two weeks. The chareidim are ready to allow the Override Clause to be enacted with a majority of 65 MKs, a position accepted by many opposition MKs, in return for a draft law which will provide for the relevant exemptions for yeshiva students.