Pittsburgh synagogue gunman Robert Bowers formally sentenced to death

Investigators said closing probe into cop filmed throwing stun grenade at protesters

Israel Police officer Meir Suissa, right, prepares a stun grenade moments before he hurled it into a crowd of demonstrators during a mass protest in Tel Aviv, March 1, 2023. (Video screenshot; Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department plans to close its investigation into a police officer filmed throwing stun grenades at anti-government protesters, Channel 12 reports.

The officer, Meir Suisssa, was seen casually throwing a grenade into the center of a crowd of demonstrators during a March 1 protest. Several protesters were injured during the events, including one who required ear reconstruction.

Video of the incident drew widespread condemnation of Suissa and police tactics.

The report says one of the people injured was informed that the case would be closed and no charges brought due to problems with the evidence.

Lawyers tell the station that if the case is closed they plan to appeal to the State Prosecutor.

The incident marked one of the first times that police ramped up their crowd dispersal tactics, using stun grenades and water cannon against demonstrators who blocked a key junction in Tel Aviv as they protested against the government’s plans to overhaul the judicial system.

Trump leaves Bedminster club to travel to Washington for his court appearance

Protesters hold signs that spell JUSTICE with the US Capitol in the background, Thursday, August 3, 2023, in Washington. Former US president Donald Trump is due in federal court Thursday to answer to charges that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

Trump leaves his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to head to Washington, where he will face a judge on federal conspiracy charges alleging the former president conspired to subvert the 2020 election.

Trump will fly by private plane to Washington, where he is expected to surrender to authorities and make his first appearance in federal court later Thursday in the case stemming from special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to cling to power after he lost to US President Joe Biden.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and criticized the case — and two others he faces — as an effort to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump will appear at the same courthouse where more than 1,000 of his supporters, fueled by his false claims of election fraud, have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump is charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding and obstructing an official proceeding. He’s also accused of violating a post-Civil War era civil rights statute that prohibits conspiring to interfere with rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution — in this case, the right to vote and have one’s vote counted.

Citibank lowers Israel forecast on judicial overhaul, policy fears

A Citibank office is seen in New York on January 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Citibank lowers its forecast for Israel’s economy in 2023 and 2024, citing a drop in investments due to fears over the government’s judicial overhaul and other policy decisions.

The report sees Israel’s 2023 growth projections dropping from 3.3% to 3.1%, while the 2024 forecast falls from 3.3% to 2.8%.

“The recent turmoil surrounding judicial reform in Israel has raised questions about its impact on the economy,” Citi says. “While there may be short-term effects on growth due to disruptions in economic activity, the more significant impact is likely to be on Israel’s potential growth in the intermediate term.”

Beyond the controversial overhaul, the report singles out the government’s policy priorities.

“It is not only the judicial reform legislation that might have a significant impact on potential growth in Israel, but a range of other governmental decisions as well such as budget allocations, education policy, etc,” the report says in an apparent reference to the decision to allocate vast chunks of the budget to ultra-Orthodox communities.

“These decisions will affect many aspects of the country and its economy and, by extension, most asset classes,” the report says. “Unfortunately, it’s not hard to imagine further declines in growth, which may increase the likelihood of a downgrade of Israel’s credit rating,” it warned.

Pittsburgh synagogue gunman formally sentenced to death

This undated Pennsylvania Department of Transportation photo shows Robert Bowers. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation via AP, File)

The man who killed 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue is formally sentenced to death, one day after a jury determined that capital punishment was appropriate for the perpetrator of the deadliest attack on Jews in US history.

US District Judge Robert Colville imposes the sentence on Robert Bowers, a 50-year-old truck driver whose vicious antisemitism led him to shoot his way into a place of worship and target people for practicing their faith.

“I have nothing specific that I care to say to Mr. Bowers,” Colville says, before issuing the formal sentence. “I am however convinced there is nothing I could say to him that might be meaningful.”

Bowers ranted about Jews online before carrying out the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue on October 27, 2018, and told police at the scene that “all these Jews must die.” He has since expressed pride in the killings.

Jurors were unanimous in finding that Bowers’ attack was motivated by his hatred of Jews, and that he chose Tree of Life for its location in one of the largest and most historic Jewish communities in the nation so he could “maximize the devastation, amplify the harm of his crimes, and instill fear within the local, national, and international Jewish communities.” They also found that Bowers lacked remorse.

The jury rejected defense claims that Bowers has schizophrenia and that his delusions about Jewish people spurred the attack.

It was the first federal death sentence imposed during the presidency of Joe Biden, who pledged during his 2020 campaign to end capital punishment.

US mulls armed troops on commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz to stop Iran seizures

This still image from video released by the U.S. Navy shows the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi surrounded by Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (U.S. Navy via AP)

The US military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, four American officials tell The Associated Press.

America didn’t even take the step during the so-called “Tanker War,” which culminated with the US Navy and Iran fighting a one-day naval battle in 1988 that was the Navy’s largest since World War II.

While officials offered few details of the plan, it comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship, are on their way to the Persian Gulf. Those Marines and sailors could provide the backbone for any armed guard mission in the strait, through which 20% of all the world’s crude oil passes.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP about the US proposal.

Four US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, acknowledged its broad details. The officials stress no final decision has been made and that discussions continue between US military officials and America’s Gulf Arab allies in the region.

Officials say the Marines and Navy sailors would provide the security only at the request of the ships involved.

Islamic State group announces death of leader in Syria clashes

A fighter from the Christian Syriac militia that battles the Islamic State group under the banner of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, burns an IS flag on the front line on the western side of Raqqa, northeast Syria, July 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

The Islamic State group announces the death of its leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who it says was killed in clashes in northwestern Syria.

Qurashi “was killed after direct clashes” with jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib province, an IS spokesman says in a recorded message on its channels on the Telegram messaging app, without specifying when he was killed.

Religious Zionism, Jewish Home parties unite

Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich (R) and Jewish Home leader Hagit Moshe anoounce the unification of their parties on August 3, 2023 (courtesy)

The right-wing Religious Zionism and Jewish Home parties announce that they are uniting.

The new party will formally be known as The National Religious Party — Religious Zionism.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism currently has seven seats in the Knesset, while Jewish Home, now headed by former Jerusalem deputy mayor Hagit Moshe, did not pass the electoral threshold in the last elections.

Announcing the merger, the two said it was an important step to unify the national religious community.

Smotrich will head the united party.

Haifa church erects fences to block Jewish pilgrims from praying in its yard

A fence cordon off the front yard of the Stella Maris church in Haifa, Israel on August 1, 2023. (Shir Torem/Flash90)

The management of the Stella Maris church in Haifa installs fences around the house of worship to keep out Jewish pilgrims who believe it’s the resting place of a biblical prophet.

The fences, whose installation this week follows months of tension around the recent arrival of Jewish pilgrims, cordon off the front yard of the 19th-century church, which is perhaps the most prominent Christian house of worship in Haifa.

The pilgrims, belonging to the Breslov Hassidic movement, say that documentation from several centuries ago indicates that the place where the church was built contains the grave of the Prophet Elisha, the successor of Prophet Elijah.

Several participants of these pilgrimages say they wish to pray outside the building.

Members of the local Christian community object to the pilgrimages, which they dismiss as attempts at intimidation by ultra-nationalists.

Contacted by The Times of Israel, Breslov followers who had participated in pilgrimages to the church area are not immediately saying whether and how the fence will impact future visits.

The arrival of pilgrims, which many Christians view as an attack on Stella Maris, has resulted several times in shoving and physical clashes between the local Arabs, Christians and the Jewish pilgrims. Police have detained several people in recent weeks from both groups.

Ibrahim Ghattas, a local community activist, in an interview with the Arabs48 website, calls this a “trap set by the far right” for Arabs, who would be accused of violence in connection with the clashes.

The fence, he says, “limits the freedom of movement” of parishes, but is necessary “to protect them from being drawn into” the alleged trap.

Grieving families confront Pittsburgh synagogue shooter at death penalty sentencing

In this combo image made from photos provided by the US District Court Western District of Pennsylvania are the victims of the October 27, 2018, assault on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. On the top row, from left: Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, and David Rosenthal; bottom row, from left, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Dan Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger. (United States District Court Western District of Pennsylvania via AP)

Grieving families confront the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter at his sentencing hearing, one day after a jury determined that capital punishment was appropriate for the perpetrator of the deadliest attack on Jews in US history.

The hearing at the federal courthouse in Pittsburgh got underway, with some 22 witnesses — survivors of the 2018 massacre and relatives of the 11 people who were fatally shot — expected to deliver victim impact statements.

US District Judge Robert Colville was expected to formally sentence Robert Bowers to death later today.

“Mr. Bowers, you met my beloved husband in the kitchen. Your callous disregard for the person he was repulses me,” testifies Peg Durachko, wife of 65-year-old Dr. Richard Gottfried, a dentist who was shot and killed. “Your hateful act took my soulmate from me.”

Mark Simon, whose parents, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, were killed in the attack, testifies he still has their bloodied prayer shawl. He says he remains haunted by the 911 call placed by his mother, whom Bowers shot while she was on the line.

“My parents died alone, without any living soul to comfort them or to hold their hand in their last moments,” says Simon, condemning “that defendant” as evil and cowardly and urging the judge to show him no mercy.

“You will never be forgiven. Never,” Simon tells Bowers.

High Court petition calls for Hayut to recuse herself from ‘reasonableness’ hearing

President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut and Supreme Court Justices seen during a court hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, on August 3, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A right-wing group petitions the High Court to have Chief Justice Esther Hayut recuse herself from the upcoming hearing on the “reasonableness” law.

The High Court of Justice will for the first time ever convene a 15-judge panel to hear petitions against the highly controversial law passed last week to limit the court’s oversight.

The petition against Hayut is filed by the Lavi lobbying group, which claims that the judge has already publicly expressed her opposition to the law.

“The self-recusal by the chief justice will be an indication of respect and an example of the neutrality of the courts,” says lawyer Avi Segel.

Hayut issued a statement on Monday according to which she had decided that every justice on the court would preside over the hugely significant and explosive hearing against the “reasonableness” law which, together with the rest of the Netanyahu coalition’s judicial overhaul agenda, has created an unprecedented protest movement against the government.

The petitions the court has accepted against the law will be heard on September 12.

Moroccan man jailed for 5 years for criticizing king over Israel ties

Moroccan King Mohammed VI greets the crowd as he stands in a limousine during a ceremony of allegiance, at the King's palace in Tetouan, on July 31, 2018, to mark the 18th anniversary of Mohammed VI's accession to the throne. (AFP)

A Moroccan man has been jailed for five years for criticizing King Mohammed VI over the North African nation’s normalization of ties with Israel, The Guardian reports.

A lawyer for the man, Said Boukioud, 48, tells the paper that he made posts on Facebook “in a way that could be interpreted as criticism of the king.”

The lawyer calls the sentence “harsh and incomprehensible.”

Israel and Morocco renewed ties as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords and have become increasingly close over the last year.

Last month, Israel recognized Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited for a state visit.

Ahead of court appearance, Trump claims ‘unprecedented weaponization’ of justice system

Former US president Donald Trump speaks at the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women Lilac Luncheon, June 27, 2023, in Concord, NH. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Donald Trump alleges an “unprecedented weaponization of Justice,” hours before he was to appear in a Washington courtroom to answer charges of conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2024 White House race, accuses US President Joe Biden of ordering the Justice Department to charge him with “as many crimes as can be concocted,” forcing him to spend time and money defending himself rather than campaign.

“The Dems don’t want to run against me or they would not be doing this unprecedented weaponization of ‘Justice.’ But soon, in 2024, it will be our turn,” he says on his social media platform, Truth Social.

In security breach, climate protesters drape UK prime minister’s house in black

Four Greenpeace demonstrators are arrested after they draped the country estate of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in black fabric to protest his plan to expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

Video posted by the group shows a crew dressed in bright red jumpsuits, helmets and safety harnesses carrying ladders and climbing onto the roof of the Yorkshire house. They slowly unfurled long black sheets of fabric over the front of the home and held a yellow sign on the roof that read “No New Oil.”

The prime minister was not home because he is vacationing with his family in California. Greenpeace said the group chose to stage the peaceful protest at a time when no one was home at the mansion, and that the activists were trained to ensure no damage was caused to the property.

Rishi Sunak’s house while he is on holiday lol ???? #Greenpeacepic.twitter.com/zfbEp2mAdP

— dave ❄️ ???? ???? (@mrdavemacleod) August 3, 2023

A former deputy chief constable in North Yorkshire called for an investigation into how the group was able to get to the prime minister’s house.

Peter Walker, who retired from the force in 2003, told LBC radio that he was “absolutely astonished” by the “major breach of security.”

Four suspects arrested for brazen 2021 Jaffa killing

Medics and police officers are seen near the scene of a shooting at Jaffa's port, on October 23, 2021; Insert: Abed Qazaz. (Magen David Adom; Courtesy)

Police say they have arrested four suspects involved in the 2021 brazen killing of a man in Jaffa, who was gunned down in front of stunned onlookers.

Police say a new development in the case led to the arrests of the four men, three Jaffa residents and one man from Ramle.

They are suspected of involvement in the killing of Abed Qazaz, a criminal known to police.

Eyewitnesses to the shooting told police Qazaz was shot while being chased through the port’s parking lot by gunmen before he jumped into the sea. The gunmen fired at least 10 times.

The four suspects appear in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court and have their remand extended for three weeks.

Police say the investigation is continuing.

Palestinians say Biden administration ‘weak,’ lacks courage in Middle East

The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister attacks the Biden administration as weak and passive in the Middle East, as violence between Israel and the Palestinians surges to its highest levels in nearly two decades.

“I’m frustrated,” Riad al-Malki tells reporters. “It seemed that [Biden] wanted to change all policies Trump has taken, but not when it comes to Palestine.”

Malki says the Biden administration has been mealy-mouthed about the expansion of Jewish settlements and the escalation of Israeli military raids in the West Bank.

He also lashed out at Biden’s failure to reverse several measures taken by the Trump administration that Palestinians saw as undermining their quest for statehood.

“We have a weak [US] administration when it comes to Palestine,” he says.

The US has not reopened its consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem, which was closed under former US president Donald Trump. The Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, also closed under Trump, remains shuttered. The US State Department also hasn’t rescinded a Trump administration decision to grant legitimacy to Israeli settlements or reversed other policies that broke with long-standing US positions on Jerusalem.

“We re-engaged with the administration hoping that they would have the strength and the courage to move forward,” al-Malki said. “They did not.”

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki:

???? Three years have passed since President Biden's promises to Palestine, but we have seen nothing except financial support.

???? The Biden administration has disappointed us, and now our country is turning towards China. pic.twitter.com/jvWxt6zqAC

— gdh news (@gdhnews) August 3, 2023

Pakistan said to purchase Israeli Cellebrite phone-hacking tools

Illustrative: A UFED phone-hacking device made by the Israeli forensic technology firm Cellebrite. (YouTube screen capture)

Pakistani intelligence services have purchased advanced phone hacking tools made by Israel’s Cellebrite company, the Haaretz daily reports.

Pakistan does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and Cellebrite says it only sells its products to legitimate law enforcement agencies. Nevertheless, Islamabad has been using the tool at least since 2012, the report says, citing Pakistani tender documents reviewed by the paper.

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency apparently purchased the machines via a third party in Singapore, the report says.

Petah Tikva-based Cellebrite was reportedly the company the FBI used in 2016 to hack into the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter after Apple refused the US government’s request to build a backdoor into its famously secure operating system.

Cellebrite’s technology does not work remotely. It requires a specially designed device to be physically connected to the phone being hacked.

High Court ends hearing on Netanyahu recusal law; no date set for ruling

Attorney Michael Ravillo, representing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arrives for a hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, on August 3, 2023.(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The High Court of Justice concludes a five-hour hearing for petitions against the law passed by the coalition in March blocking the court and the attorney general from ordering a prime minister to recuse themselves.

The petitioners argued earlier that the law, an amendment to Basic Law: the Government, should be struck down by the court on the basis of the doctrine of misuse of constituent power by the Knesset.

Attorney Michael Ravilo representing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists however that the purpose of the law is fitting, arguing that it should be unthinkable in a democracy for unelected officials to force a prime minister from office.

Ravilo rejects allegations that the law was designed personally for Netanyahu, telling the three presiding High Court justices that the legislation has broad application to any future prime minister, and clarifies the previously unclear legal situation regarding recusal.

He also points out that despite some coalition MKs stating during the legislative process that the law was designed for Netanyahu, other MKs such as Likud MK Ophir Katz said at the time the law was designed to clarify the legal status of the office of the prime minister as an institution, not of Netanyahu as an individual.

It is as yet unclear when a ruling will be handed down.

Palestinians hope Saudis will insist on end to ‘occupation’ as condition for Israel ties

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki gives a press conference in Ramallah in the West Bank on August 3, 2023. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki says he hopes that Saudi Arabia will stick to its demands for a Palestinian state before normalizing ties with Israel.

Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, al-Maliki says, “What we have read from the news items is that Saudi has put different conditions regarding normalization.”

“One of these conditions is really the end of the Israeli occupation and the materialization of the state of Palestine,” he says. “If that’s really the case, then that’s really very important.”

“I hope that the Saudis will stick to that position and not yield to any kind of pressure, intimidation coming from the Biden administration or any other power.”

The Biden administration has been trying to negotiate a normalization deal between Jerusalem and Riyadh. While the move is a major policy goal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it’s unlikely that his hard-line coalition partners would agree to major concessions to the Palestinians as part of any deal.

Lebanese PM calls Abbas, warns troops could intervene to stop refugee camp clashes

Empty bullet cartridges are seen lying on the road during a third day of clashes that erupted between members of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group and Islamist factions in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister called the Palestinian Authority president to demand an end to the volatile situation in the country’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, warning that Lebanese troops may intervene to stop the fighting that has left dozens dead and wounded.

Najib Mikati’s call with PA President Mahmoud Abbas came after days of sporadic clashes between Palestinian factions in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon.

Mikati calls the fighting a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and says it was unacceptable for the warring Palestinian groups to “terrorize the Lebanese, especially the people of the south who have embraced the Palestinians for many years,” according to a statement released by his office.

His call came as cautious calm returned to the camp and surrounding area after a night of renewed clashes.

Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, which is home to about 50,000 people, has been rocked since Sunday by fierce battles between Abbas’s Fatah party and Islamist groups Jund al Sham and Shabab al Muslim.

13 injured in South Korea car-ramming, stabbing attack

At least 13 people are injured in South Korea when a man rams a car onto a sidewalk and then steps out of the vehicle and begins stabbing people near a subway station in the city of Seongnam.

The Southern Gyeonggi province police department say at least nine people were stabbed and four others were injured by the vehicle. Police did not confirm whether any were in serious condition.

Police were questioning an unidentified suspect who was arrested at the scene.

#BREAKING: Stabbing Attack in Seongnam, South Korea leaves 13 people injured.

Authorities are responding to the situation, and one suspect has been apprehended. pic.twitter.com/xe6cjn6xPK

— Insider News (@InsiderNewsKe) August 3, 2023

Russia says it downed seven drones near Moscow

Investigators examine an area next to a damaged building in the "Moscow City" business district after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, early Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.

Russia says it had downed seven drones over the Kaluga region, less than 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of Moscow, amid a surge in drone attacks targeting the capital.

The defense ministry says it had foiled “a terrorist attack with drones” in the region.

Regional governor Vyacheslav Shapsha confirms on the Telegram messaging app that seven drones had been shot down.

There were no casualties, he adds

IDF officer charged with dealing coke, stealing grenades

File: Illustrative photo of cocaine (CC BY-SA Valerie Everett, Flickr)

An army captain has been charged with drug dealing and illegal possession of weapons, the Israel Defense Forces says.

According to an indictment filed at a military court yesterday, the officer sold 100,000 NIS ($27,000) worth of cocaine to Military Police agents on three separate occasions over the course of two and a half months.

The officer was also found to have seven 40mm grenades at his home that he illegally took from the army.

The officer was detained on July 6, and has remained in custody since.

While prosecutors have requested to extend the officer’s remand until the end of legal proceedings, the court orders that he be held until August 8 at this stage.

High Court judges says law shielding Netanyahu ‘clearly’ legislated to benefit him

President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, August 3, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Supreme Court President Esther Hayut says “it is clear” a law passed in March blocking the court from ordering a prime minister to recuse himself from office was designed for the benefit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking during a hearing on petitions to the High Court of Justice against the law, Hayut together with justices Uzi Vogelman and Isaac Amit all pointedly ask on several occasions whether delaying implementation of the legislation would resolve this problem, a form of legal interpretation the court deployed just three days ago over the so-called Tiberias law.

“[Likud] MK Moshe Saada said two days before the law was passed in its second and third readings ‘we legislated it because of Netanyahu.’ You can’t get clearer than that,” insists Hayut in the hearing.

“Perhaps there is an alternative [to striking down the law] that maybe the amendment to the law [for recusal] could apply only from the next Knesset,” queried Vogelman.

The recusal law was passed as an amendment to Basic Law: The Government, ostensibly to prevent the court or the attorney general from determining that Netanyahu was in violation of his conflict of interest agreement, signed in 2020 in light of his criminal indictments, due to his involvement in his coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation.

Vogelman also insists during the hearing that the High Court has the authority of judicial review over Basic Laws, despite them having a quasi-constitutional nature. These comments come against the background of recent remarks by several government ministers that the court has no right to review or invalidate such laws.