From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
New Hope, Yisrael Beytenu blast Levin for impasse over appointment of justices
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The leaders of the right-wing opposition New Hope and Yisrael Beytenu parties slam Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s ongoing conflict with the High Court of Justice over the appointment of judges.
“I never thought it was justified to deviate from the unwritten rule of ‘seniority’ — it prevents politicization of the Supreme Court,” says New Hope chief Gideon Sa’ar — referring to Levin’s effort to have hardline conservative justice Yosef Elron appointed as president, even though such a step would overturn the principle of seniority, in place since the founding of the court, whereby the most senior justice on the court is made president.
“I still hope that an understanding and agreement will be reached and that we will all be spared the renewal of this internal campaign at a time of war for Israel,” Sa’ar says.
In a tweet, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman derides “the worst government in Israel’s history.”
“Instead of focusing during wartime on issues that unite the people and highlight what we have in common, the government focuses exclusively on controversial issues that threaten to break apart Israeli society, such as the Temple Mount and legal reform,” he writes.
“Something different is possible. We need to replace this government, fast.”
