The negotiations at the President’s Residence over the government’s judicial reforms are close to collapse, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism Party) said in an interview on Channel 7 Radio on Monday afternoon.
“Right now, we are mostly seeing hunkering down, and a lack of readiness to agree to anything,” Rothman, who is a central proponent of the judicial reforms, said regarding opposition negotiators from the Yesh Atid and National Unity parties.
“If there was will to arrive at an agreement, it would have been reached quickly. The fact that this did not happen shows that they are not interested.”
Simcha Rothman
“If there was will to arrive at an agreement, it would have been reached quickly. The fact that this did not happen shows that they are not interested,” Rothman added.
Rothman said that he was “committed to instigating changes in the judicial system” with “all of his soul,” and that he was “sure that it would happen.”
“It is quite simple – if you stop legislation to reach an agreement, and agreements are not reached, then you continue with the legislation,” Rothman said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is seen speaking at a conference at Reichman University in Herzliya, on May 22, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)Rothman also claimed that there were people involved in the negotiations who “had an interest in dragging them on” without a limit.
Israel’s president says judicial reform talks aren’t a waste
President Isaac Herzog in a speech earlier on Monday at Reichman University said that the talks were not being drawn out.
“This process takes time, no one is dragging their feet and no one is wasting time, and, contrary to all of the spin, the talks are very serious and very in-depth. People are giving of themselves and coming to the room with good intentions,” the president said.
“No one is selling the foundational values of the country. In-depth discussions are being held about the boundaries between the branches of government. This is how it should be, since for 75 years we did not deal with this,” Herzog added.
The president concluded with a warning.
“If I see any malicious acts done to sabotage the process, I will not hesitate to point them out. It is true that there are a lot of bodies outside of the room who are not enjoying the fact that we are holding dialogue within the room, but within the room, we are holding serious, significant and responsible dialogue for the good of the nation and the country,” Herzog said.
Legislation of the judicial reforms, which aim to strengthen the government’s side in the balance of power between it and the judiciary, was frozen on March 27 after widespread protests and a general strike.
The bill that progressed furthest is one that would grant the governing coalition a majority in the Judicial Selection Committee, and give it the power to appoint two justices to the High Court of Justice per Knesset term without the opposition or judiciary’s consent.
Comments are closed.