“Israel’s” Rift: ‘High Court’ Strikes Down Netanyahu Gov’t ‘Judicial Law’

By Staff, Agencies

“Israel’s” so-called “High Court of Justice” struck down the government’s “reasonableness limitation law” on Monday.

The court split almost down middle over the highly contentious “legislation”, the only “law” from the government’s polarizing “judicial overhaul” package to have been passed, with eight “justices” ruling to strike down the law and seven to uphold it.

But fully 13 out of the full 15- “justice” panel that heard the case wrote in their opinions that the “court” did have the authority to review “Basic Laws”. And of the five justices who asserted this right but declined to strike down the “reasonableness law”, three expressed deep concern over the “legislation” and wrote that it should be interpreted in a narrow manner to preserve aspects of the reasonableness standard.

The “reasonableness” limitation law was advanced after the government backed down from far-reaching and extreme “judicial overhaul legislation” that many said would have severely if not mortally damaged “Israel”, including “laws” that would have given the ruling coalition near-total control over almost all “judicial” appointments, and which would have almost totally annulled judicial review over Knesset “legislation”.

That “legislation” was frozen by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of March in the face of severe unrest, mass protests, reserve military service refusal, and the threat of strike action.

“The reasonableness” law, passed back in July as an amendment to “Basic Law”: The “Judiciary”, barred all courts, including the “High Court”, from deliberating on and ruling against government and ministerial decisions on the basis of the “judicial standard of reasonableness”.