Levin threatens to paralyze Supreme Court, sets out plans for renewed judicial overhaul |
Justice Minister Yariv Levin on Sunday laid out his plans to counter Israel’s judiciary in a discussion with dozens of Likud activists on an X livestream, warning that he is prepared to paralyze the Supreme Court, defy its rulings and advance legislation declaring court decisions void.
Recordings of the conversation, obtained and published by the Walla news site on Monday, also showed Levin assailing Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, whom he has boycotted since the latter was elected, and describing his renewed push to reshape the judicial system.
In the discussion, Levin said the most important issue for him is the appointment of Supreme Court judges, and framed his ongoing judicial overhaul push as a power struggle with what he described as a “small,” “radical” elite controlling the courts.
“If you are willing to reach an agreement with me, I’m in favor,” Levin said he has told judicial leaders. “But that agreement must necessarily bring in people who have never sat on the Supreme Court before.”
If the judiciary refuses, Levin warned, he is prepared to wait it out, even at the cost of crippling the court’s ability to function. “In the next term, another five judges will be replaced… nine appointments out of 15,” he said. “That will leave them with a simple choice: either a situation in which the court essentially disappears, or has a dramatic........