The High Court of Justice has ordered the Knesset and the government to justify within 21 days legislation that serves as the bedrock of the current government, further jeopardizing its continued existence.
The court orders officials to explain why legislation behind the power-sharing government that narrows the Knesset’s powers, including its authority to bring down the government, should be allowed.
It also decides to henceforth review the matter in a panel of nine justices rather than the current three, signaling it believes the issue to be of particularly high stakes.
From left to right: Justice Hanan Melcer, Chief Justice Esther Hayut and Justice Neal Hendel at the High Court of Justice on May 4, 2020. (Screenshot)
The power-sharing coalition deal between Likud and Blue and White necessitated a complicated legislative package and extraordinary amendments to Israel’s Basic Laws to ensure the premiership rotation and prevent each side from bringing down the government preemptively.
One former Supreme Court justice once described the deal as “shocking” and full of “legal monstrosities.”
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Thursday, November 12, 2020
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