“The safeguarding of...judges’ independence is therefore one of the cornerstones of every democratic regime.”
--High Court Justice Esther Hayut broke her silence and responded to the reported plans by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to curtail the authority of the High Court.*

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Number of the day:
2.8 billion.
The amount of dollars the Netanyahu governments have invested in settlements in the West Bank over the last 10 years, according the the latest Peace Now report.**
 

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Front Page:

If Need Be, He’ll Replace the State (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) A prime minister who was elected by just one-third of the eligible voters sits there, drafting a law for himself, crumpling the justice system, spitting on basic ethics, convinced that he is the victim of the system he himself created, and the public goes on believing that it’s all just a circus act. This method allowed the prime minister to trigger an election and now to build himself a barricade of power-crazed cabinet members who demand bags of bribes in exchange for signing a writ of surrender to the supreme leader. It won’t be a court that will determine Benjamin Netanyahu’s innocence, but rather his fellow gang members, who are already counting their protection money.
It's Israel that's in danger, not Netanyahu (Amnon Abramovich, Yedioth/Ynet) The Jewish state is falling victim to narrow political calculations whose sole aim is to save the prime minister's skin; the surrender to ignorance and regression has led to a failing education system and a widespread desire to leave the country that has the people's prosperity at the very bottom of the government agenda.
Wolf, wolf: The public is not moved by legislation against the High Court of Justice (Yanir Kozin, Maariv) The prime minister, who has been careful in the last decade to remove any initiative against the court, now argues that it is necessary to pass laws that have been disqualified or delayed, but some of them have not been fully legislated. The Likud headed by Netanyahu has been in power for a decade, and almost all this time Netanyahu was careful to delay, postpone and remove any initiative aimed at "restoring the balance between the authorities" and he even boasted about it. In addition to the fact that this is his fifth term, the great difference between Netanyahu of now and the Netanyahu of the last decade is his personal legal situation and if this will be the motive for enacting the various laws, it will probably not pass the High Court test.
Disingenuous Liar and Suspect (Haaretz Editorial) As the last of the populists he tries to instill in Israel the feeling that the state has for decades been under a judicial dictatorship headed by the High Court of Justice, which has used its power to expropriate the nation’s sovereignty. “I am determined to act without fear on your behalf, Israeli citizens. That’s why you elected me.” These are outright lies. They are factually untrue: The High Court has indeed overruled amendments to the Prevention of Infiltration Law, but the bills mandating the death penalty for terrorists and the expulsion of their families never even reached the court. (In effect, Netanyahu himself stopped the death penalty law, and that’s a good thing.) The falsehoods also have to do with values: The only real threat to Israeli democracy is Netanyahu and his co-conspirators in this crime, who are trying to subjugate the legal system to the will of the electorate. In the absence of an independent judiciary, majority rule becomes unrestricted. In the absence of the separation of powers, which in the absence of a constitution is the only guarantor of human and minority rights, democracy would lose the ability to defend itself.

Wanted: A Connection clause (Amichai Atali, Yedioth Hebrew) Supreme Court Justice Esther Hayut is now in the midst of the battle of her life. For years, the animosity between the Israeli right and the judicial system has grown, but it seems that the point of no return will actually occur on Hayut’s watch. For years the court made decisions that were interpreted as one-sided: it did not lift a finger against the violation of the human rights of Gush Katif [Gaza settlement -OH] evacuees, it rejected the Infiltrators Law and thus prevented the state from dealing with tens of thousands of (African) migrant workers, it ejected the ‘Neighbor procedure’ [taking a Palestinian by force to knock on the door of a wanted man so that no one would open fire on the IDF force - OH], which was supposed to prevent harm to IDF soldiers and it was very active when it ordered the evacuation of illegal outposts in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank-OH]. But it was much less decisive in terms of illegal construction in the Arab and Bedouin sectors. For years, the right-wing speak of weakening the power of the High Court, but now it seems that the conditions are ripe. There are those, particularly Prime Minister Netanyahu, who want to do so only for personal reasons, after blocking almost any attempt over 10 years to reform the justice system. If the next coalition suddenly gains the ability through him to make changes, it is clear to all that Netanyahu's motive is at best vindictive and at worst survival. Others, and Bezalel Smotrich is one of them, desire change on a regular basis. The ultra-Orthodox and Lieberman certainly will not come to the defense of the system, which has caused them quite a lot of personal or sectoral problems, and such Hayut is left leading a mighty campaign. But she chose yesterday to deal with it with tools that are simply incomprehensible. "The next step taken by the Nazi party to establish its status using legal tools was the enactment of the Enabling Act in March 1933," she said in a speech yesterday. "By virtue of this law, the German government was granted full legislative powers that enabled it to bypass the Reichstag as a legislative branch." Instead of asking for a meeting with Netanyahu to open negotiations with him that would moderate what appears to be a very serious blow to the judicial system, to make proposals such as reducing the power of the [judicial] system in the way in which judges are elected in Israel, Hayut chose to shout aloud that she is detached. Of all places at a conference in Germany, and in Nuremberg, she addressed these difficult issues. Even if none of the far-reaching reforms planned by the right-wing will be implemented, even if the (High Court) Override Clause is wiped off the face of the earth, the manner in which Chief Justice Hayut conducted herself proves that the a ‘Connection Clause’ is urgently required. To reality.
It is precisely when political corruption is rising that a strong High Court is needed (Prof. Eli Zeltzerberger, Maariv) Despite the prevailing view, the High Court in Israel is much less involved in legislation than most of its world counterparts, and its portrayal as the enemy of democracy could lead to the collapse of the rule of law.
To Repel Netanyahu’s Onslaught on Democracy, the Israeli Left Must Find Its Inner Rage (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Trump supporters and the Israeli right are driven by fury and resentment that burn intensely, even when detached from reality.
Netanyahu's Erdoğanization of Israel (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The lethal combination of two extremely dangerous pieces of legislation being promoted by the prime minister - a new law protecting his immunity from prosecution and a push for a legislation to overturn Supreme Court decisions - is going to lead to a constitutional crisis.
Only one who doesn’t understand can assume that we will give up the heart of our homeland (Prof. Arieh Eldad, Maariv) Only those who do not understand or ignore our historical legality will assume that the Kingdom of Israel will stop in the middle of its development. Only those who have lost confidence in Israel will be surprised that we have spread wings.
Barring Eurovision from Jerusalem was a win for BDS (Shay Attias, Israel Hayom) Many Eurovision contests were not held in the official capitals of the winning countries. In Israel's case, however, holding the event in Tel Aviv is a loss.
Israel stays silent as Poland discriminates against its Jews (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) Heading into the European parliamentary elections later this month, and the Polish general elections later this year, Jews are now being singled out as enemies.
On the 71st ‘Nakba Day,’ the Palestinians will have to mourn another self-inflicted disaster (Yoni Ben Menachem, Maariv) Both in the Gaza Strip and in Judea and Samaria, the Palestinians are ruled by corrupt and oppressive dictatorships. Their situation is another defeat with additional tragic consequences for their situation.
A particularly happy anniversary (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) Unlike its predecessors, the Trump administration understands Palestinian terrorists don't need an excuse, other than the Jewish state's existence, to spill the blood of innocent people.
Shabbat Costs Israel Tens of Billions of Shekels Every Year (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) The ultra-Orthodox parties are demanding even less work on Shabbat. If they win, Israel has a lot to lose.
Is Qatar Foundation using university grants to fund radical individuals, groups on campus? (Sean Savage, Israel Hayom) Two legal groups are seeking information on potential influence the government of Qatar is wielding at Texas A&M University and a satellite campus of the university.
Not all criticism of Jews is anti-Semitic dog-whistling (Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom) While the trope that Jews use money to buy influence is a classic tactic in the anti-Semitic playbook, the idea that Jewish political donors are off-limits for criticism when they engage in partisan politics is preposterous.
Rashida Tlaib wants to rob Jews of their history (Yisrael Medad, Israel Hayom) The congresswoman is not only pushing a cover-up of the historical record, she is fashioning an old message into a new narrative form: It is that thanks to the Arabs that Jews have a home.
Why does Rashida Tlaib keep campaigning for Donald Trump? (Jonathan S. Tobin, Haaretz+) Tlaib's 'calming feeling' about the Holocaust is just the latest gift Democrats in Congress have handed the president on Israel and anti-Semitism.
Iran Threatens the Saudi-U.S. Axis Without Taking Direct Responsibility (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The two consecutive attacks on Saudi Arabia are a clear defiance of the Trump administration.
Is Iran's nuclear issue becoming relevant again? (Tal Lev-Ram, Maariv) Since the signing of the nuclear agreement, Tehran generally abided by it. But as Iran's provocations intensify in the region, this fact can also be undermined.
Iran Is Choosing the Time and Place to Confront America (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Repeating mistakes of Obama administration, U.S. is allowing itself to become distracted from other places where Iran is advancing its agenda, both in the Middle East and further afield.
Iran must decide: To be or not to be (Col. (res.) Ronen Itsik, Israel Hayom) Iran's top priority is to preserve the rule of the ayatollahs, so if the U.S. is prepared to back threats with military action, it will agree to a better nuclear deal from President Trump.