Ep. 223: The biggest threat to Israel democracy is the Supreme Court

About this episode

The episode discusses the threats to Israeli democracy posed by the Supreme Court and the ongoing debate over judicial reform.

With Israelis set to go to the polls in a few months, an issue that has been on the backburner since Oct. 7 will probably again be provoking public debate in the Jewish state. An effort to reform Israel’s Supreme Court and judicial system enraged the opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in 2023 and is likely to be on the agenda again. Joining JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin in this week’s episode of Think Twice is Israel-American lawyer Yonatan Green, author of the new book, Rogue Justice: The Rise of Judicial Supremacy In Israel. Green says that there is no court in the world in a democratic country that has the kind of power that Israel’s Supreme Court has seized for itself. And contrary to the claims of the opponents of judicial reform, “the biggest threat to Israeli democracy and the rule of law is the Israeli Supreme Court itself and its allies and its proxies.” By abolishing the very notions of standing and justiciability, two cornerstones of English and American law, Israel’s courts have arrogated to themselves the ability to overrule the elected government on virtually any issue or action in ways unheard of in other democracies. This has…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Tobin

Guest: Yonatan Green

Topics covered

• Israeli democracy
• Supreme Court reform
• judicial supremacy
• political debate
• government power

Keywords

• Israel
• Supreme Court
• judicial reform
• democracy
• Benjamin Netanyahu
• Yonatan Green
• judicial supremacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Israel, Supreme Court, Benjamin Netanyahu

Books & works: Rogue Justice: The Rise of Judicial Supremacy In Israel

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