Gantz vows no overhaul agreements will alter Israel’s system of governance
Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel

National Unity party leader MK Benny Gantz says that he will only support an agreement on reforming the judiciary if it is clear that the government will end its plans for “regime change,” amid reports that a potential deal is on the table.
“I am telling the public clearly and directly: There will be no agreements without a clear and guaranteed commitment that there would be no continuation of legislation touching upon Israel’s governance,” he says at the outset of his Knesset faction meeting, “unless we reach broad agreement and there is a mechanism to ensure that [the promises] are indeed implemented.”
Gantz adds that he refuses to hand a “blank check” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, which would “allow Netanyahu to become stronger and make decisions at a time and place convenient for him.”
The opposition party head says that National Unity will continue attending talks at the President’s Residence, the next of which is scheduled for tomorrow, provided that “progress is made” and the opposition nets one of the two seats for lawmakers on the Judicial Selection Committee, as is convention.
“If this does not happen and the coalition elects two candidates or does not bring the representatives to a vote, it will mean changing the rules of the game,” Gantz says.
He also slams the government’s expected resolution to enshrine Zionism as a strategic value, which would allow the government to give preference Jews in the allocation of resources.
“This government, which is going to destroy the model of the people’s army, which prevents core studies and incentivizes [Jewish] streams that distance themselves from Zionism, wants to bring about a decision on assimilating Zionist values? It should study practical Zionism instead of institutionalizing racism,” says Gantz.
A source in the Prime Minister’s Office confirms that the government has yet to agree upon the text for the resolution, and the vote, expected as early as this afternoon, is yet to be scheduled.