The Habayit Hayehudi Knesset faction on Tuesday threatened it would no longer vote with the coalition if the bill to bypass the High Court of Justice, a.k.a. the overruling clause, is not submitted to a vote by the ministerial legislative committee by next Sunday.
Justice Minister Shaked told Israel Radio the Likud should begin to respond to the demands of Habayit Hayehudi, not only the demands of the Haredi coalition partners.
The party claimed that on Monday night they acquiesced to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request to postpone the vote on the overruling clause in order to allow a deeper discussion of the issue. However, they noted that their faction is determined to pass the clause, which they call the most important constitutional move in 25 years.
“This is the basis for governance, for the removal of illegal infiltrators and for an effective fight against terrorism,” Habayit Hayehudi stated, stressing: “We must not miss a historic opportunity to restore the balance between the government and the High Court of Justice which has overstepped its authority.”
Habayit Hayehudi MKs also noted that according to the coalition agreement, the Likud is committed to supporting the overruling clause with a 61-vote majority.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) told Israel Radio Tuesday that Netanyahu’s decision to meet with Supreme Court President Esther Hayut and hear her position on the clause was correct and legitimate, “even if you don’t necessarily have to accept it.”
The high court president conditioned her meeting with the PM on his suspending the legislation, to which he acquiesced.
“If we don’t hear any new arguments that will change our position, we will move on to a practical phase [of the legislation],” Levin said, and estimated that such new arguments would not be raised at the meeting between Hayut and Netanyahu.