Israel Sees Onset Of Constitutional Crisis As New Gov't Pushes Judiciary Reform

Moscow (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - Feb, 2).– Israel is at the beginning of a constitutional crisis, as the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to curb the power of the Yariv LevinIsraeli Supreme Court through a far-reaching judicial reform, experts told Sputnik.

On January 4, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin rolled out a legal reform package that would limit the authority of the supreme court by giving the cabinet control over the selection of new judges, as well as allowing the country's Parliament, the Knesset, to override the court's rulings with an absolute majority, among other things.

The reforms were proposed almost immediately after the Knesset swore in the most right-wing government in the country's history, formed by Netanyahu's Likud and its ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies, on December 29. This is Netanyahu's sixth term after he was ousted from power in June last year, ending his 12-year run as prime minister. His return to office became possible after his right-wing bloc won 64 seats in the November election, the fifth such vote in less than four years.

"The new government, which was established about a month ago, is probably the most right-wing government, conservative government. So, the government (is) itself an opportunity to do very drastic reforms in many spheres of life, not only in the constitutional sphere," Gad Barzilai, professor of law at the University of Haifa, said.

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