This election is about stopping the coup on Israel's judiciary

Opinion: Netanyahu and other prominent right-wing figures have vowed to make radical changes in the country's judicial system, which may politicize it to the point where human rights of Israel's public will no longer be protected

Yedidia Stern|
What are these elections all about? Is it even worthwhile to go out and vote for the third time in less than a year?
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  • Unfortunately, there are many issues that will remain unchanged regardless of the outcome.
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    אסתר חיות
    אסתר חיות
    The High Court of Justice
    (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
    On the security front, it's clear that any defense minister – be it Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman, or Gabi Ashkenazi - will continue the questionable military policies currently in place. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is selling you an election spin.
    Same goes for foreign policy. The United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin's policies aren't contingent upon who wins more Knesset seats but on the own respective interests.
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue & White Chairman Benny Gantz both will most likely act to implement Trump's peace plan, dubbed the Deal of the Century, within the limitations imposed on them by both the American president and the international community.
    This euphoric feeling that some had at the notion of an immediate annexation of strategic territories in the West Bank dissipated within days and gave us a more realistic perspective that it is simply another election spin.
    Pertinent issues such as education, the economy, healthcare, welfare, and infrastructure aren't given much importance in this campaign.
    Even the separation of religion and state is not up for a real debate since it's clear the ultra-Orthodox parties will still have the last say on the matter.
    While a certain party plays the anti-Haredi card to milk some more votes, essentially, it's nothing more than yet another spin.
    Despite all the above, casting your vote on March 2 is of the utmost importance since this will be the day that will decide the future of Israel's rule of law.
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    Justice Minister Meir Ohana
    Justice Minister Meir Ohana
    Justice Minister Meir Ohana
    (Photo: Meir Ohayon)
    Netanyahu's mouthpiece, Justice Minister Amir Ohana, and other prominent right-wing figures have vowed to make radical changes in the checks and balances of the political and judicial systems.
    They are the precursors of a looming anti-constitutional revolution.
    First, they'll pass a bill that would give Knesset the last say over the High Court of Justice. The consequences of such a bill would be far-reaching, as it will allow the coalition to pass a law exempting an incumbent prime minister from criminal liability.
    The High Court would definitely annul such a bill, but Knesset would be able to pass it again, and that would be it.
    This would also allow anyone to easily recruit the ultra-Orthodox parties to their coalition by pushing favorable bills, which the courts would be unable to throw out.
    Secondly, they will replace the current Judicial Selection Committee, which settles between political and professional motives, with a mechanism over which the politicians have full control.
    This means a complete politicization of the judicial system and the loss of its independence, which will turn it into nothing more than a rubber stamp in the government's hands.
    These revolutionaries will also seek to cut back on the High Court's authority, making it difficult for it to monitor the executive branch.
    Then, they will try to curtail the influence of the state's legal advisers, mainly the attorney general.
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    אביחי מנדלבליט
    אביחי מנדלבליט
    Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit
    (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
    If the so-called revolutionaries get their way, the legal advisers' role would switch from keeping government authorities from abusing the immense power we've handed them, to simply function as the government's private lawyers.
    This isn't a fictional dystopia, but a declared plan of action, which threatens all those who hold human rights dear to their hearts, both on the left and the right.
    Even Netanyahu, who originates from a more-liberal background, has opposed these moves in the past, but today, he sees them as his personal lifeblood.
    If this anti-constitutional coup goes underway, Israel will become a vastly different state to the one we are used to. The human rights of Israel's public, especially the rights of minorities, will no longer be protected. They will depend solely on the goodwill of a coalition consisting of politicians holding unlimited power.
    A country that does not have a full constitution and the Bill of Rights, whose vision is fiercely contested by numerous parties and whose leadership fuels hateful discourse – requires powerful and independent gatekeepers against any abuse of the power we handed to the legislative and executive branches.
    Granted, the judiciary and the courts should not be exempt from criticism and the current situation is also not ideal, but any reform must be done in a responsible and balanced manner and not achieved through a coup which could ultimately end in a disaster.
    That's what this election is all about.
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