Israel Parliament Starts Vote on Limiting Supreme Court Power

Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

An aerial view shows tents erected in demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government’s judicial overhaul near the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg

Israel‘s parliament on Monday began final voting on contested changes sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the judiciary as last-gasp talks continued to ease one of the country’s worst political crises set off by his plans.

President Isaac Herzog who called the standoff “a national emergency” was still trying to forge a compromise on the government’s judicial plans which have sparked unprecedented nationwide protests, a person familiar with the matter said.

Police used a water cannon to disperse demonstrators opposed to the judicial campaign by Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious coalition and officers dragged away protesters who had chained themselves to posts and blocked the road outside parliament.

The chances to reach a compromise appeared slim as lawmakers began voting

“You cannot reach agreements that safeguard Israel‘s democracy with this government,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid told Israeli television channels at the Knesset minutes before the hours-long vote began.

With banks and businesses joining in the protest, pressure mounted on Netanyahu, who was released from hospital on Monday morning after a two-night stay during which he was fitted with a pacemaker.

Netanyahu has been urged by Washington on the one side to reach a compromise with the opposition, while his hard-line coalition partners are pushing for legislation to go ahead with more judicial changes to follow.

The crisis has spread to the military, with protest leaders saying thousands of volunteer reservists would not report for duty if the government continues with the plans and former top brass warning that Israel‘s war-readiness could be at risk.

Nonetheless, commanding a comfortable majority in parliament, Netanyahu’s coalition looked set to win the vote on the bill that limits the Supreme Court’s powers to overrule decisions made by governments and ministers.

‘DISASTER’

“We’re on our way to a disaster,” Lapid told lawmakers during the stormy debate. “If you vote for this bill you will weaken the state of Israel, the people of Israel and the Israel Defence Forces.”

It would be the first change written into law from a package critics fear aims to curb judicial independence, but which Netanyahu – who is on trial on corruption charges he denies – insists are needed for balance among branches of government.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin who has been driving the changes defended the bill, which would amend a law enabling the Supreme Court to void decisions it deems “unreasonable”.

“There’s no reason to fear this amendment. There are many reasons to see it as an important step toward restoring balance between the branches of government as respecting voters’ choice,” said Levin.

Netanyahu’s coalition has been determined to push back against what it describes as overreach by a Supreme Court that it says has become too politically interventionist.

Critics say Monday’s amendment has been rushed through parliament and will open the door to abuses of power by removing one of the few effective checks on the executive’s authority in a country without a formal written constitution.

The government announced its judicial plans in January, soon after it was sworn in, stirring concern among allies abroad for Israel‘s democratic health and denting the economy.

The Shekel has weakened around 8% since.

Israel‘s two biggest banks, Leumi and Hapoalim, said they would allow workers to demonstrate on Monday without losing pay.

A forum of some 150 of Israel‘s largest companies went on strike and Azrieli and Big, two of Israel‘s largest malls, said stores in their shopping centres would remain closed.

Thousands March as Vote on Curtailing Israel Court’s Powers Nears

Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

Protesters march in demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government’s judicial overhaul, at the entrance to Jerusalem, near Motza, July 22, 2023 Photo: REUTERS/Dan Williams

Thousands of Israelis opposed to a judicial overhaul planned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marched into Jerusalem on Saturday, as pressure mounts on his rightist government to scrap a bill that would curtail the Supreme Court’s powers.

Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition says the bill, which parliament is scheduled to vote on by Monday, is needed to balance out the branches of power because the Court has become too interventionist.

Critics say it has a crucial role in safeguarding civil rights, in a country that has no constitution and a unicameral parliament dominated by the government.

Carrying blue and white Israeli flags, a column of protesters several kilometers (miles) long marched up the main highway to Jerusalem under a scorching summer sun, to the sounds of beating drums and anti-government chants and cheers.

The marchers have been walking for days, camping out overnight and often met by local residents offering food and drink.

They plan to rally outside parliament ahead of a Sunday debate and subsequent vote on the bill, which would limit the Supreme Court’s powers to void what it considers “unreasonable” government or ministerial decisions.

Protest leader Shikma Bressler, asked if she thought the marchers would manage to stop the vote, said she didn’t know.

“But the vote is not the last step,” she told Reuters. “This is why we are trying to build the forces… in this country to choose right from wrong, to choose light from darkness.”

The bill, its supporters say, is designed to facilitate effective governance with courts still keeping ample judicial oversight. Opponents say the change is being rushed through parliament and will open the door to corruption and abuses of power.

Polls suggest widespread misgivings among Israelis as the planned changes have dented the economy and worried key ally Washington, which has urged Netanyahu – who is on trial on corruption charges that he denies – to seek consensus on judicial reforms.

The crisis has even sown divisions within the military, long viewed as an apolitical melting pot for a fractious society, with concerns about war-readiness voiced on both sides of the debate.

Israel Daily News– July 20, 2023

ILTV Israel News

Israel Daily News– July 19, 2023

ILTV Israel News

Archeologists discover receipt from time of Second Temple in Jerusalem – study

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

The inscription carrying the financial record that was found in the City of David in Jerusalem. / (photo credit: ELIYAHU YANAI/CITY OF DAVID)

Israeli archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered an ancient receipt from 2,000 years ago, dating back to the Second Temple period, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced.

The artifact was found along the Pilgrimage Road that connects the City of David to the Temple Mount and is a snapshot of the bustling commercial life in biblical Israel.

The findings were published in the Israel Antiquities Authority’s peer-reviewed academic journal ‘Atiqot.

Cash or credit? An ancient Israelite financial record from the Second Temple era

The financial record was found in the form of a small stone fragment with an inscription that included seven partially preserved lines with Hebrew letters and numbers.

One of these lines, for example, contains what seems to be the name Shimon. Other lines includes a series of numbers marked with the Hebrew letters mem (short for ma’ot, meaning money) and resh (short for reva’im, meaning quarters).

Rendering of the Pool of Siloam and the pilgrimage road, Second Temple period. (credit: Shalom Kveller/City of David Archives)

This type of discovery isn’t exactly new, which is why archaeologists are sure of what it is. Transactional records are the subject of considerable discourse in Jewish law. In the third chapter of the Talmud’s Tractate Bava Batra, there is a discussion on proof of purchase for property and real estate. 

In addition, according to Bar-Ilan University’s Prof. Esther Eshel and Israel Antiquities Authority excavation director Nahshon Szanton in their study in ‘Atiqot, there have actually been four other finds similar to this.

These artifacts, found in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, all with names and numbers on similar pieces of stone that date back to the early Roman era. 

However, this particular financial record stands out from the rest because it was found within the contemporary boundaries of Jerusalem. 

However, given its location, this isn’t too surprising. 

The history of the Pilgrimage Road

The financial record was found along the Pilgrimage Road. In ancient times, this 600-meter road connected the Siloam Pool to the Temple Mount. During the pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Sukkot and Shavuot, Jewish pilgrims would come to the pool here to purify themselves, after which they would walk the road over to the Second Temple. 

But the path to the Temple wasn’t just walking and talking. Archaeologists have long been aware that the road was also used for commercial purposes. Indeed, it would have essentially been a very bustling shopping district, with the sides of the Pilgrimage Road crowded with stores and vendors, selling everything from food, spices and livestock. 

Some evidence of this has been found in the excavations, and the archaeologists at the City of David have been busy parsing through all the ancient debris to find the shops. In fact, some of these stores have already been rebuilt by the City of David for future tourists to see.

And thanks to this artifact, we now have a better glimpse at just what this ancient commercial area may have been like, filling in another layer of the rich history of Israel’s capital.

This is something the Israel Antiquities Authority is well aware of.

“It is not a coincidence that the many discoveries which are being revealed in the excavation shed light on the centrality of this road even during the Second Temple period.”

Eli Escusido

“It is not a coincidence that the many discoveries which are being revealed in the excavation shed light on the centrality of this road even during the Second Temple period,” said Israel Antiquities Authority director-general Eli Escusido.

Also weighing in is Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who said: “The remarkable discovery on the Pilgrimage Road in Jerusalem uncovers another aspect of Jewish life in the city from 2,000 years ago.”