Livni blasts Shaked over Judaism vs. democracy column

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked is taking heat from her predecessor Tzipi Livni over a column in which she seems to say that Israel’s Jewish character is more important than its democratic character.

Speaking to Army Radio, Livni, an MK for Zionist Union, points to measures proposed by Shaked that critics say would undermine the country’s democratic identity in favor of its Jewish one, joining others who have lambasted Shaked over the column, in which she also seems to support taking power away from the courts.

“The government, including Ayelet Shaked, view democracy as a technical matter of majority rule. For the Knesset, sure, but it shouldn’t be the basis for legislation,” she says.

“Those who want to erode democracy want to get us used to the idea that where there is a point of conflict between Judaism and democracy, Judaism will be chosen at the expense of human rights.”