Likely Postponement of Key Vote Rattles Israel’s Judicial Reform Talks

Negotiations on judicial reforms in Israel hit a stumbling block on Wednesday after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took steps to postpone a critical vote for a month. The vote would determine the Knesset’s two representatives on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee, responsible for appointing judges across Israel’s civil court system.

Opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz have threatened to leave the negotiations if their candidate, Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar, isn’t elected to the committee. Failure of the talks could strengthen the political tumult that began earlier this year when the coalition attempted to unilaterally advance reforms.

Much of the coalition, including the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, and several Likud MKs, believe offering a committee spot to the opposition is unnecessary, and Netanyahu has struggled to ensure that the opposition gains a spot, owing to multiple coalition candidates still in the running.

After the removal of Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer’s candidacy, leaving only Likud MK Tally Gotliv and Elharrar, Netanyahu directed coalition MKs to vote “no” for both candidates, in an effort to trigger a 30-day delay on the vote.

Lapid accused Netanyahu of breaching his commitment to appointing an opposition member to the committee. In contrast, the coalition blamed the opposition for the developments, encouraging them to continue the talks without hindrance.

The postponement might disrupt the appointment of judges for the next month and empower the coalition to push two reform measures without the opposition’s support. These reforms could enable government ministers to hire private representation when their policies are challenged in court and limit the Supreme Court’s ability to evaluate the legality of government decisions.