MK leading overhaul charge indicates no intention of changing tack on legislation

After President Isaac Herzog describes a morning “of sorrow” in the country over the successful first reading of a bill that makes up a significant part of the government’s judicial overhaul, a key architect of the legislation calls it “a morning of “joy.”

MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), head of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee who is chaperoning the bills making up the sweeping reforms, tells Army Radio: “This is not a morning of sorrow. It’s a morning in which a huge part of the people… has erupted in roars of joy.”

“Yes, sometimes the joy of one person can create sorrow in another, certainly in a political disagreement,” he says. In his view, “after 30 years of judicial dictatorship, the State of Israel is on the path to democracy.”

With the first reading done and the bill heading back to his committee for deliberations ahead of its second and third readings, some had hoped the coalition and opposition could engage in constructive talks to reach a broad understanding and compromise on the highly contentious effort to remake the judiciary.

Rothman rejects any change in approach, asserting he has been open to negotiations from the start while accusing the opposition of refusing. (Herzog’s proposal for talks had included the precondition of the coalition pausing its legislation. The coalition has refused to do this, leading the opposition to refuse to  talk.)

“You will not hear a different approach from me, as I have been open to talks since day one,” Rothman says, adding he has no plan to halt the process. He accuses the opposition of “behaving as though it won the elections” by making demands as a prerequisite of holding talks.