Levin said threatening to bring down PM if forced to compromise on judicial reform

Channel 12 reports major tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin over the judicial overhaul and insinuates that Levin is trying to bring down the premier.

The report is strenuously denied by the Likud party.

The report quotes sources close to both saying that Netanyahu wants some sort of compromise over the government’s judicial overhaul, whereas Levin is refusing to budge.

The report says there is a disconnect between the two and that Levin has told Netanyahu directly he will quit and bring down the coalition if forced to give up core elements of the overhaul package.

“Yariv Levin is pushing this to the extreme for political reasons. There’s no doubt that he’ll be the direct beneficiary if the Attorney General orders Netanyahu’s recusal (for breaching his conflict of interest agreement),” the report quotes a Netanyahu aide as saying.

“Netanyahu has lost faith (in Levin) and is trying to lead the judicial reform process himself, but the attorney general is preventing him from doing so,” the aide reportedly says.

However, Channel 12 also notes that Netanyahu has made publicly clear he is in favor of the reform and appointed Levin, knowing his position.

Likud slams the report, calling it “completely fake news and malicious lies that never occurred. To our sorrow, they were broadcast in an amateur way even though they were officially denied.”

Channel 12 says it stands by the report.