Rothman says some overhaul bills to be advanced soon if talks with opposition fail

The coalition will advance some of the bills in the highly contentious judicial overhaul plan in the current Knesset term even without the opposition’s approval if no agreements are reached, the architect of the legislative push says.

Speaking with Channel 12 news, Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, the chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, says one of these laws could be a highly divisive bill to grant the coalition complete control over the selection of most judges, which has already cleared all the legislative hurdles besides the final votes.

“I’m convinced that parts of the reform will pass,” he says.

His remark is likely to outrage opposition politicians who have been engaged in negotiations with the coalition on a potential broadly agreed-upon judicial reform formula, though these have reportedly made little headway.

The overhaul ignited major nationwide protests, eventually forcing the government to pause the plan to allow for talks with the opposition.

Rothman adds that “the coalition, without fixing the justice system, won’t be able to survive.” He says the ball “is in the opposition’s hands,” lamenting that their representatives in the talks “don’t want to reach agreements.”