Think-tank head urges Gantz to use coalition deal to protect judiciary

Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, urges Benny Gantz to hammer out agreements to safeguard Israel’s judiciary, as part of his coalition negotiations with Netanyahu.

“For Gantz and his party, the coalition negotiations are an opportunity to introduce much needed clarity when it comes to the balance of powers between Israel’s different branches of government. This means including in the coalition guidelines their opposition to an [High Court of Justice] override clause and any change in the status of the attorney general and that of the legal advisers in the various ministries operate.

“All proposals for new Basic Laws, or changes to the existing Basic Laws, should only be proposed and legislated if there is a consensus among all the parties in the coalition. If a member of the coalition nevertheless defies this agreement, all the other members should be obligated to vote against the proposal,” Plesner suggests.