Likud MK: Nothing can prevent passage of ‘reasonableness’ bill before Knesset recess

Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky says nothing will stop the passage of the government bill to limit the court’s use of the judicial test of reasonableness from being passed into law before the Knesset recesses in several weeks, and accuses the opposition of having tricked the coalition into stalling its judicial overhaul legislation.

The bill, which would bar the courts from reversing cabinet and ministerial decisions on the grounds of a lack of reasonableness, is set to be approved in its first Knesset reading sometime tonight.

The Likud MK, who was a member of the coalition’s negotiation team to find compromise proposals under the auspices of the President’s Residence, says he was optimistic about a comprehensive agreement until Yesh Atid and National Unity pulled out of negotiations, following a dispute over elections to the Judicial Selection Committee.

“It was very clear at that point that they tricked us. So what now? To return to the negotiations and stop the legislation so they’ll do the same trick again? We have no faith in them,” Milwidsky tells The Times of Israel.

He insists the bill is designed simply to “stop judges from forcing policies on the elected branch of government” and insists that plenty of judicial tools will remain to uphold civil rights even without the use of reasonableness.

“If you don’t like the decisions of elected officials, you can vote them out of office. You can’t do that with judges. With authority comes responsibility. The judges have no responsibility because they are not responsible to anyone,” the MK argues.