MK Gottlieb Criticizes Justice Minister, Proposes Judicial Reforms

Member of Knesset Tali Gottlieb has sharply criticized Justice Minister Yariv Levin for his perceived failures in advancing the government's judicial reform agenda. Gottlieb, who recently left the Likud party to join Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, stated that Levin "systematically creates pictures of failure" because he does not listen to criticism. She argued that instead of making grand pronouncements about reform, the government should take concrete steps based on existing laws.

Gottlieb specifically targeted the Supreme Court (Bagatz) and the prosecution, proposing legal measures to limit their powers. She asserted that the court does have the authority to review government decisions, as stated in the Basic Law on the Judiciary, but suggested amending the law to explicitly exclude political, military, and diplomatic matters from its purview. Gottlieb believes a targeted amendment, rather than a complete overhaul of legislation, would suffice to clarify the court's scope of intervention.

Furthermore, Gottlieb suggested that Levin is not fully utilizing existing tools to manage the judiciary. She pointed to Article 18 of the Court Law, which allows the Justice Minister to file disciplinary complaints against judges for misconduct. Gottlieb cited an incident involving Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit, whom she accused of calling ministers a "support group for the prime minister" during a session discussing the dismissal of former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar. Gottlieb claimed Levin refused her request to file a disciplinary complaint against Amit, which she believes was a missed opportunity to exert pressure.

She also proposed measures for civil servants, including the ability to suspend employees for up to 14 days under the Civil Service Law (Discipline) and suggested implementing rotation for prosecutors between different districts to prevent them from becoming entrenched in one position. Gottlieb explained her departure from Likud by stating she found Ben-Gvir's party more willing to pursue a hardline policy, citing his stance on stricter conditions for Palestinian security prisoners.

Gottlieb also addressed security matters, calling the Shin Bet a "subversive organization" and criticizing pilots who allegedly conditioned their service on the government in power. She claimed these pilots failed to provide air support to elite Yamam police fighters on October 7, 2023, contributing to the day's failures. Gottlieb reiterated her claim that she had warned of a Hamas threat before October 7, based on intelligence about militant training exercises, but her warnings were dismissed.

Regarding the definition of victory in the current conflict, Gottlieb stated that eliminating terrorists is insufficient if the enemy does not acknowledge defeat and retains the capacity to threaten Israel. She advocated for territorial control and settlement construction as a means to achieve a clear victory that the enemy understands. She urged voters to support Otzma Yehudit to strengthen the right-wing bloc in the Knesset and influence government policy, emphasizing the party's role in opposing Bagatz's political interventions and the inclusion of Mansour Abbas in the political system.