Lapid says PM exploiting bereaved for ‘orchestrated riot’ in court, party won’t join judge oversight panel

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies of using families who lost soldiers on October 7 or in the ensuing war to push his political agenda and undermine judicial proceedings after a High Court hearing over petitions against the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar is disrupted by protesters, including a bereaved father and Likud MK Tally Gotliv.

“The orchestrated riot at the Supreme Court and the shameful exploitation of the pain of bereaved families by Netanyahu and his people is a pathetic move by the criminal October 7 government that is trying to harm the rule of law and our joint life in Israel,” Lapid states.

His Yesh Atid party also announces that it has withdrawn its lawmakers’ candidacies for spots on the committees to appoint the attorney general and the state ombudsman for judges, stating that “it will not take part in the continued systematic destruction of the judicial system and the dismantling of the status of gatekeepers.”

“In light of today’s events, in which the government once again puts political considerations first, the party will not be a party to the coalition’s improper and forceful moves, and will not cooperate with any attempt to act in a terrifying manner and to disparage Israeli democracy,” Yesh Atid says in a statement.

The judicial ombudsman oversees disciplinary procedures against judges. Last month, the Knesset passed a law dramatically changing how the position is filled, creating a new seven-member committee tasked only with the appointment.

The Knesset House Committee and Knesset Constitution Committee are due to select the Knesset’s representatives for the ombudsman and attorney general selection committees this afternoon.