What You Need To Know About Israel’s Judicial Reforms

AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson breaks down what Israel’s recently-enacted judicial reform means for the future of the only democracy in the Middle East.

The Reasonableness Standard Bill adopted by the Knesset this week, with the support only of members of governing coalition parties, will – if it survives legal challenges – alter the balance of power between the judicial and executive and legislative branches of government. Elected officials will have fewer restraints on their actions. The High Court of Justice will retain other oversight tools, however. 

Proposed judicial reforms in Israel that would dramatically shift the balance of power in the Israeli government have triggered mass protests, condemnation from wide swaths of Israeli society, and expressions of concern from American Jewish organizations. Here is what you need to know about Israel’s Judicial Reforms.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today expressed profound disappointment over the passage of the Reasonableness Standard Law in Israel.

The new law was pushed through unilaterally by the governing coalition amid deepening divisions in Israeli society as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets. Of particular concern to AJC, the continued effort to press forward on judicial reform rather than seeking compromise has sown discord within the Israeli Defense Forces at a time of elevated threats to the Jewish homeland and has strained the vital relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. 

The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) has initiated a legislative process that would limit the High Court of Israel’s ability to review the “reasonableness” of government decisions. This highly contentious legislation is part of Israel's protests against judicial reforms.

This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed pause on a series of contentious judicial reforms that have triggered mass protests, condemnation from wide swaths of Israeli society, and expressions of concern from American leaders and Jewish organizations. Belle Yoeli and Jason Isaacson discuss what this means for the future of the Middle East’s only democracy.

In a call with American Jewish Committee (AJC) leaders from across the United States, AJC CEO Ted Deutch made remarks on judicial reform in Israel.

We welcome the Israeli government’s suspension of legislative consideration of judicial reform measures. The last three months have been painful to watch and yet a textbook case of democracy in action. We respect the political leaders, business executives, community activists, cultural figures, and ordinary Israelis who took to the streets, exercising their love of country, and their passion for democracy."

Judicial reform is a complex issue, with legitimate arguments and varying perspectives over appropriate checks and balances and the division of powers between the Israeli Knesset and the Supreme Court.