Israeli Coalition Rejects Supreme Court Suspension of Detention Law, Calls for Noncompliance

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi sharply criticized the Supreme Court's decision to suspend the enactment of Amendment 28 to the Detention Law, calling the court's action unlawful and urging law enforcement not to comply with the injunction. Karhi argued that the court lacks legal authority to annul or delay a law and invoked a quote attributed to former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, stating that Supreme Court judges should rule only according to laws passed by the Knesset. He specifically addressed the interim order issued by Judge Ofer Groskopf, declaring it meaningless and labeling those enforcing it as "lawbreakers." Karhi emphasized that law enforcement must obey the law, framing his stance as a rejection of what he termed "judicial dictatorship" and a defense of democracy.

The Supreme Court's interim order suspends the law's implementation pending further decisions and requires respondents to justify why the law should not be annulled. Judge Groskopf referenced longstanding court rulings on the conscription of yeshiva students and noted concerns about freezing arrest, investigation, and enforcement procedures for certain population segments. The petitioners challenged the law's legality.

Member of Knesset Meir Porush also condemned the court's ruling, asserting that continued detention of Torah students is illegal and that any police officer or soldier detaining or cooperating in detaining these students violates the law. The coalition's statements come amid ongoing tensions over the detention and conscription of yeshiva students in Israel.