Israel Justice Minister threatens to step down over Judiciary reform plan

A heated crisis is reported to have erupted between Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, which prompted Levin to threaten with submitting his resignation and dissolving the government, over the state of the dubious judiciary reform plan.

The Israeli Channel 12 indicated that the crisis has erupted with the accumulation of differences between Levin and Netanyahu over the government’s strategy to advance the reform plan, pointing out that Levin has threatened to resign and dissolve the government, if significant changes are made to the plan.

This comes in light of growing public protests against the plan, described by opponents as would destroy democratic values, isolate Israel internationally by weakening the courts, granting the executive authority absolute powers, and endangering human rights and civil liberties.

According to the report, tension between the two men began a few weeks ago, as Netanyahu sought to soften elements of the sweeping reform plan in response to public protests, while Levin stood by the original plan, refusing to make any concessions.

ariv Levin is pushing this to the extreme for political reasons. There is no doubt he will be the chief beneficiary if the Attorney General orders Netanyahu’s recusal [for breaching a conflict of interest agreement].

Netanyahu has lost trust and is trying to lead the reform himself, but the Attorney General is preventing it Channel 12 quoted one source close to Netanyahu as saying.

The sources said Netanyahu is very interested in passing the reform, and did not expect that Levin would lead these measures in such a strict manner without creating room for maneuver.

The report said Netanyahu is ready to compromise with the opposition on a judicial reform plan, but that he needs a coalition and does not want Levin to resign. The offices of both Netanyahu and Levin have strongly rejected the report.

The Arab League has condemned the Israeli Knesset’s [Parliament] approval of a law allowing the Israeli government to revoke citizenship or residency from Palestinian citizens of Israel and Jerusalemites and deport them to the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, if they obtained financial assistance from the Palestinian National Authority.

The Arab League General Secretariat called on the international community, with its states, organizations and institutions, to put pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to immediately intervene and stop this racist law and the open war against the Palestinian people.

It stressed that Israel’s continuation of these policies and crimes within the framework of implementing annexation and Judaisation projects and plans will cause the region to explode, threatening security and peace in the region, and that dealing with Israel as a state above the law encourages it to commit more crimes.

Middle East Monitor / ABC Flash Point Ethnic Cleansing Blog News 2023.