Levin Accuses Supreme Court of Blocking Judicial Appointments for Years

Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin sharply escalated his criticism of Israel’s judiciary on Sunday, amid renewed debate over the Judges Selection Committee and the balance of power between the Knesset and the Supreme Court. Levin said a recent remark by Justice Yitzhak Amit, who claimed that “qualified judges are not promoted because of political considerations,” described the situation in reverse.

Levin argued that Amit was referring to what he called the “improper veto” that Amit and his colleagues place on the appointments of Dr. Bachi and Dr. Biton to the Supreme Court. He said that for years candidates for senior posts in the judicial system had been rejected for “non-substantive reasons and political and personal considerations,” and insisted that the judicial overhaul was meant to end that practice. “This is exactly the essence of the amendment we passed,” he said.

Levin also called for advancing a proposal he said had been agreed on with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and MK Avichai Boaron. Under that proposal, the Supreme Court would have no authority to intervene in Basic Laws, and any intervention in an amendment concerning the Judges Selection Committee would be “void.” He ended with a demand for immediate action: “This is the time for a clear public demand to bring this proposal to an immediate vote and stop the theft of the Knesset’s powers.”