Gantz says any court override legislation must be balanced

Benny Gantz clarifies his recent comments that his National Unity party would back an override clause if it required 90 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers in order to reinstate legislation invalidated by the Supreme Court.

“If there’s thinking of doing an override, it needs to be symmetric and balanced between the two sides,” the party head says in response to a question from The Times of Israel, referring to the parliament and the top court.

“The question coming together now is what is the correct balance,” he says, and whether the simple majority of 61 MKs currently being discussed by the prospective coalition is an appropriate number, “or is there a different number and attitude.”

“I think there is room to look into it, to check, [but] we must not wreck [the legal system],” the defense minister says.

Gantz last week suggested the standards for an override could be “two-thirds of the High Court justices in order to invalidate a law, and two-thirds [of the Knesset] in order to overcome it and reinstate the law.”

“It’s completely clear that we have to respect the sovereignty in the Knesset and completely clear that we have to respect the court and the rule of law. We have to preserve the balance between the authorities,” he adds today.