E25. September 12 Showdown in Supreme Court of Israel: How Did We Get Here and What's at Stake?

Tomorrow morning, the Israeli Supreme Court will convene to hear what may be its most important case ever. The coalition government led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu passed a law on July 24 that eviscerates the power of the Court to review a broad class of government decisions. Many Israelis believe that this unprecedented government action will erode democracy, as there are no other checks or balances on the actions of the Knesset. The government takes the position that it can act as it sees appropriate in light of the fact that it controls a majority of the Knesset. This constitutional crisis – in a country with no formal constitution, paradoxically – has wreaked havoc in Israel since January and is likely to escalate following this momentous hearing. Speaking with State of Tel Aviv to explain the layers of complexity – and why the coalition government is so determined to prevail – is Professor Yaniv Roznai, a constitutional law expert at Reichman University who has been deeply involved in these issues throughout. This podcast gets into the guts of the legal issues and what may lie ahead.

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