From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Herzog decries coalition’s planned divisive judicial bills – ‘touching on our democracy, risking our cohesion’
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
President Isaac Herzog slams the government’s upcoming legislative agenda, stating that he is “very worried about the wave of legislation” being advanced by the coalition, in a speech at a memorial ceremony for former prime minister David Ben Gurion in southern Israel.
“This wave of legislation in the Knesset touches our democratic foundations — from the courts, to the judicial system, to law enforcement, to civil rights in elections and in general, to the independence of the media, academia and so on,” he states.
Herzog calls on elected officials and political leaders to “lower the flames and do everything to reach understandings and agreements,” rather than pushing through far-reaching measures without a responsible and reasoned discourse.
“Any irresponsible shaking up of the delicate democratic fabric that we have built here; any uncautious busying with our most foundational core issues; any unnecessary unstitching of Israeli statehood and cohesion – especially now, in the midst of the war – are a threat to our national resilience and our unity.”
Critics have pointed to a number of controversial legislative initiatives by the coalition — including moves to allow the Knesset to appoint the state ombudsman for judges and allow the justice minister to determine the rate of bar association membership dues — as evidence that it seeks to revive the judicial overhaul agenda frozen at the beginning of the war in Gaza.
Additional recent legislative initiatives include bills to grant the government oversight of television ratings data and privatize the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation and Army Radio, moves that are seen as targeting outlets critical of the government and benefitting a channel that staunchly supports it.
