(JNi.media) In a plenary discussion Wednesday, Justice Minister Ayerlet Shaked responded to an agenda proposal from opposition MKs titled “attacks by Israeli ministers on the Supreme Court,” and, referencing a statement by MK Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi), that it is the conduct of the Supreme Court which has led to a decline in the public’s confidence in it, Shaked said, “I agree that there has been a violation of the balance of powers among the branches of government — the judiciary has acquired power in some places that had not been given it by the law. But the way to change it is through a respectful discourse through the legislature, through the Knesset,” NRG reported.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to freeze the demolition of the homes of the terrorists who killed Danny Gonen, Malachi Rosenfeld and the couple Naama and Eitam Henkin, MK Moti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi) called on Supreme Court Justice Uzi Fogelman to “take off the judge’s robe and join the Joint Arab List, whose views are identical to his rulings.”
“It would be proper for the government, as I, too, will try, in the Knesset, to find ways to bypass Justice Fogelman’s immoral and disproportionate rulings, so that we may deter murderers and enemies, defend the existence of the nation of Israel and the State of Israel and save lives,” MK Yogev continued.
Responding to the harsh criticism his statement received, MK Yogev than added: “With its judicial activism, the judiciary has harmed and continues to undermine the Israeli democracy and the security of Israeli citizens.”
In her remarks, Justice Minister Shaked addressed Meretz Chair MK Zahava Gal-On, saying: “I want to say that you can relax: based on my relationship with the Supreme Court chief justice and the justices, nothing will affect the judicial jurisdiction of Israeli judges.”
At the beginning of her remarks, the Justice Minister said that “the Supreme Court justices are not enemies, they are part of the vibrant Israeli democratic system. And they, too, are not shielded from criticism. No one is immune to criticism, but there is a proper way to express criticism, and we must maintain proper boundaries to the dialogue, especially elected public officials, whose comments pass through megaphones. We, the MKs, of all people, must make sure that the discussion is fruitful and respectful.”
Following the statement by MK Yogev, Director of the Courts, Naftali Spitzer, took the unusual step of writing the Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, that Yogev “has gone too far with an inciting, radical statement against a judge in Israel. It is a statement that these days means permitting the blood of Justice Fogelman—that’s how far MK Yogev has gone with his words.”
Yogev responded that “it’s time the Supreme Court justices understand that they are not above the decision-makers and elected officials who have undergone a democratic election again and again—certainly not when the issue is the security of Israel and saving lives.”
Knesset Speaker Edelstein joined the criticism of Spitzer’s appeal, saying he found it strange that a civil servant, no matter how senior, would approach the Knesset Speaker not through his superiors, with a personal attack against an elected Member of Knesset, and publicize his message even before receiving any response.”
Edelstein added that he, too, was nevertheless concerned because of the blatant attacks against the courts and the judges, and called on everyone to preserve the honor and absolute independence of the judiciary.