Likud MK urges public to avoid courts in same way they avoid rocket-battered north
Hanoch Milwidsky skeptical time is ripe for renewed judicial overhaul push, but thinks people who are ‘not progressive’ should dump courts for arbitration or rabbinic tribunals
Hanoch Milwidsky, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, called on the public to avoid the court system and instead take their legal disputes to arbitration or rabbinical tribunals, in a radio interview Thursday.
Speaking to the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox Kol Berama station, Milwidsky said the courts are a “place without justice,” citing a Wednesday court ruling that appeared to cast doubt on a woman’s account of sexual harassment because she was a Netanyahu supporter.
“The citizens of Israel would do well to avoid the courts for now, just like they avoid the north,” said Milwidsky, referring to communities near the Lebanon border that have been largely evacuated amid near-daily skirmishes with Hezbollah.
Amit Becher, head of the Israel Bar Association, reacted on the same radio station, saying Milwidsky’s suggestion represented “complete societal disintegration and anarchy.”
Milwidsky’s comments come amid a long-running effort by the government to overhaul Israel’s judiciary, claiming it was elitist and liberal. A far-reaching series of reforms that would have given elected officials vast powers over the justice system was largely shelved amid massive protests that claimed the push would undermine democracy.
However, Justice Minister Yariv is still holding up a series of judicial appointments, including that of the new High Court chief justice.
Levin has for 10 months refused to bring to a vote in the Judicial Selection Committee the promotion of Justice Isaac Amit to head of the High Court. Amit, a liberal judge, is slated for the role under the customary, but not codified, seniority principle.
On Monday, Levin suggested naming conservative Justice Yosef Elron chief justice for some six months, to be followed by Amit. Interim Chief Justice Uzi Vogelman rejected the compromise proposal. The High Court on Wednesday told Levin it would be forced to order him to convene the committee and appoint a chief justice should he fail to do so by September.
In the interview, Milwidsky was asked about an “alternative” October 7 anniversary event planned by hostage families unhappy with the government. Milwidsky replied that the government should reach an agreement with the “people who have co-opted the hostages issue,” and expressed support for a compromise proposed by author Hanoch Daum, which would see the alternative and official ceremonies take place at different times.
The government should “pick our battles” to maintain national unity in wartime, Milwidsky said.
Picking up on the comment, the hosts asked if the time was ripe for the government to resume the judicial overhaul that was set aside following the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
“If the government decides that’s what is right to do now, I will speak out for it,” said Milwidsky. “But I don’t know that’s the thing to argue and fight about right now.”
Asked how Levin should react to a potential High Court order to name a chief justice, Milwidsky said: “I don’t think we’re in a place where we shouldn’t abide by a High Court ruling.” However, he added, “I do think a person with a worldview that is not progressive would do well to look for alternative forums.”
Milwidsky also said he thought the government had made a mistake in stowing away its judicial overhaul after October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Weeks before the shock assault, Hebrew media reported that some Likud lawmakers had expressed uneasiness about the effort. In Milwidsky’s opinion, the government should have held a vote on some of the overhaul’s key planks so that those “few” Likud members would be forced to reveal themselves.
The lawmaker said the issue with the courts runs deeper than the High Court’s presidency, pointing to “the outrageous ruling yesterday that said, ‘we don’t believe you because you are a Netanyahu supporter.'”
Milwidsky was referring to the Tel Aviv Magistrate Court, which on Wednesday awarded MK Elazar Stern, of the opposition Yesh Atid party, NIS 400,000 ($109,000) in a libel suit against Channel 13 host Guy Lerer. The host had alleged that when he was a senior IDF officer, Stern covered up a sexual harassment complaint by a female soldier.
The judge, Lior Gelbard, wrote that the complaint may have been politically motivated and there were grounds to probe “the soldier’s support for Benjamin Netanyahu and harsh opposition to the government in which Stern had served.”
