Netanyahu hits back at Ben-Gvir: No one can stop judicial reform deal

Netanyahu was expected to announce the agreement on Monday evening but did not get opposition agreement in time. He reportedly wanted to present a unilateral proposal if the opposition didn’t cooperate but was discouraged by President Isaac Herzog.

Even as the prime minister tried to get a bilateral agreement passed, his coalition partners, however, were not as eager.

Ben-Gvir: For negotiations, against surrender

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for instance, released a statement saying he was against “surrender”.

“I am for negotiations but against surrender,” said Ben-Gvir. “The reform is important for the State of Israel. It will create a balance between the three branches – the legislative, the judicial, and the executive. Folding in the President’s Residence means humiliating half of the people. Folding in the President’s Residence harms the values of the Right.”

In response, Netanyahu’s office said that “Prime Minister Netanyahu is working to exhaust every possibility to reach a national agreement that will bring balance between the three branches. If such an agreement is reached, no one will prevent it from being seen through.”

Like Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday he told Netanyahu he was open to negotiations but not “dictations and ultimatums from those who lost in the elections.”

In particular, Smotrich said he wasn’t willing to give up on “diversity in judicial selection so that judges will represent the whole public in the State of Israel.”

Smotrich also criticized National Unity leader Benny Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid whom he accused of purposely making compromise impossible.

“We are making big attempts to lead honest negotiations, but unfortunately, I see that at the same time, Lapid and Gantz, who blew up the talks at the President’s Residence, are preventing any chance of conversation,” he charged. “They don’t want agreements, they want to get 100% of their dictations, and we won’t lend a hand to that.”

“We are making big attempts to lead honest negotiations, but unfortunately, I see that at the same time, Lapid and Gantz, who blew up the talks at the President’s Residence, are preventing any chance of conversation,” he charged. “They don’t want agreements, they want to get 100% of their dictations, and we won’t lend a hand to that.”

Earlier in the day, National Unity leader Benny Gantz said his party will support the judicial reform compromise outline discussed in the last week no matter Netanyahu’s motivation for pushing for it.

“In the last few days, the president advanced an outline in which I saw a base for widespread agreements that would protect the democracy and the value of a-politicization of the judiciary system and would give the other side an opportunity to influence to some degree because, at the end of the day, the victory of one side or the surrender of the other will cost us dearly,” he said. “I’m not interested in Netanyahu’s motivation. If there is a solution on the table that will protect democracy, I will be there.”

The president’s compromise outline, which was leaked last week, sees the government legislating a less extreme reasonableness clause amendment as well as a freeze on judicial reform legislation for 18 months.