Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is using his sixth term in office to promote a barrage of constitutional reforms that would cement his rule and strip the Israeli judiciary of its ability to check the executive branch. But while his government may ignore massive public protests, it cannot ignore capital flight.
TEL AVIV – After five consecutive elections in three years, four of which ended in political stalemate, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu managed to form a coalition of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties late last year. But instead of restoring stability to Israel’s increasingly dysfunctional political system, Netanyahu is using his sixth term in office to promote a blitz of constitutional reforms that, if enacted, would turn Israel into an autocracy.
A few election cycles ago, in 2020, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Netanyahu is not barred from serving as prime minister as long as he refrains from using that position to influence the outcome of his ongoing corruption trial. But Netanyahu, who has continued to attack the prosecutors in his trial for allegedly conspiring to keep him out of office, did not allow this constraint to stop him from proposing a judicial coup.
Days after forming his new government, Minister of Justice Yariv Levin announced a comprehensive plan to reshape Israel’s legal system. Levin argued that the proposed reform would strengthen Israeli democracy and restore balance between the judiciary and the executive and legislative branches. In fact, the proposal is designed to strip the judiciary of its ability to check the executive branch.
TEL AVIV – After five consecutive elections in three years, four of which ended in political stalemate, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu managed to form a coalition of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties late last year. But instead of restoring stability to Israel’s increasingly dysfunctional political system, Netanyahu is using his sixth term in office to promote a blitz of constitutional reforms that, if enacted, would turn Israel into an autocracy.
A few election cycles ago, in 2020, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Netanyahu is not barred from serving as prime minister as long as he refrains from using that position to influence the outcome of his ongoing corruption trial. But Netanyahu, who has continued to attack the prosecutors in his trial for allegedly conspiring to keep him out of office, did not allow this constraint to stop him from proposing a judicial coup.
Days after forming his new government, Minister of Justice Yariv Levin announced a comprehensive plan to reshape Israel’s legal system. Levin argued that the proposed reform would strengthen Israeli democracy and restore balance between the judiciary and the executive and legislative branches. In fact, the proposal is designed to strip the judiciary of its ability to check the executive branch.