INTERVIEW: Judicial reform architect to UK: Allies shouldn’t interfere with Israeli politics
In an exclusive interview with Jewish News, Religious Zionism lawmaker Simcha Rhotman discusses the newly-passed judicial reform and its divisive implications.
Religious Zionism lawmaker Simcha Rhotman, widely considered one of the architects of the Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government’s judicial reforms, has told Jewish News in an exclusive interview that Israel’s allies shouldn’t “interfere” with its internal politics.
A number of Israel’s closest allies, such as the US and UK, have expressed frustration and disappointment with the government’s passing of the “reasonableness law” which bars the High Court from striking down government decisions and appointments of ministers deemed “unreasonable.”
Following the passing of the law in Knesset on Monday, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK’s “strong relationship with Israel has always been underpinned by our shared democratic values.”
It continued: “While Israel’s exact constitutional arrangements are a matter for Israelis, we urge the Israeli government to build consensus and avoid division, ensuring that a robust system of checks and balances and the independence of Israel’s judiciary are preserved.”
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The U.S. also criticised the passing of the law, calling it “unfortunate” that Monday’s vote on judicial reform “took place with the slimmest possible majority.”
(photo credit: FLASH90)
Rhotman, who chairs the powerful Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, blames “some people” in Israel for asking “foreign government’s to interfere in out internal debate.”
“I think everyone should remind themselves that allies and friends don’t interfere with internal politics in other countries. I am telling them we have to respect each other,” Rhotman said.
Rhotman has been among the most active lawmakers in the government pushing the judicial reforms through, overseen the judicial process of the newly passed “reasonableness law” in the committee.
Every government should have the right to appoint its own legal advisors. When there is no trust between the legal advisor and the prime minister and his ministers, the legal advisor shouldn’t be staying in office.
Experts and commentators in Israel, , including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, are now speculating that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara will be fired from her position, after several ministers have called for her resignation in recent months, accusing her of incompetence and being in bed with anti-reform demonstrators.
When asked if Netanyahu will go ahead and fire the attorney general now that the High Court won’t be able to strike down government decisions, Rhotman dodges the question.
“Every government should have the right to appoint its own legal advisors. When there is no trust between the legal advisor and the prime minister and his ministers, the legal advisor shouldn’t be staying in office. With or without the reasonableness standard,” he said.
Rhotman refused to answer whether Dery will now be re-appointed as health and interior minister with the reasonableness standard gone.
The last time the court used the now abolished reasonableness standard to interfere with a government decision was in January when it ruled that Netanyahu’s appointment of Shas party leader Arieh Dery as health and interior minister was “unreasonable in the extreme.”
“This is a person who has been convicted three times of offences throughout his life, and he violated his duty to serve the public loyally and lawfully while serving in senior public positions,” High Court President Esther Hayout said following the ruling.
Rhotman also refused to answer whether Dery will now be re-appointed as health and interior minister with the reasonableness standard gone.
“I don’t think that the court should interfere with who is being appointed minister, whatsoever. Unless it’s strictly illegal, the court shouldn’t have a say in the makeup of the government,” Rhotman said.
Lastly, Rhotman says he “hopes” that the government and the opposition will be able to reach a “wide agreement” on the remaining judicial reforms in the coming months, but that the government will not accept “extortion.”
“If not (no consensus), I don’t think the opposition should get a veto on legislation. I hope they will come to their sense and be reasonable,” Rhotman said, in what appeared to be a provocative word-play on the newly passed law.
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