Israel spirals into unprecendented constitutional crisis as government votes to defy High Court

[DavidDvorkin]

Israel was plunged into a constitutional crisis on Sunday after the government unanimously declared it would not honor a High Court of Justice ruling concerning the Second Authority for Television and Radio, the regulator that oversees the country’s commercial television and radio broadcasters.

In an official statement, the government said the court had no authority to override the law. “You have no power to trample the law. A ruling that contradicts the law will not be recognized, and decisions made under it are void,” the statement said.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rj00etawxzl#google_vignette

[bucolic_frolic]

1. That kind of thinking could break down most governments

We'd best pay attention though, we have a lot of SCOTUS-6R rulings to crawl out from under.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. The Israeli government just invalidated its judiciary.

[PatSeg]

11. And that traditionally is the start of a dictatorship

[orthoclad]

3. Sounds familiar.

[ChicagoTeamster]

4. Why? Are the news media contradicting the Netanyahu govt version of events in Ukraine and Gaza and with Bibi's finances?

[orangecrush]

5. Coming here in 3... 2... 1...

[SamuelTheThird]

6. Key line in the article

He argued that the coalition was preparing the ground for future refusal to accept election results.

[3_Limes]

8. Sounds about right.

And I expect that the effort will be successful in both cases. There seems to be little will in Israel to resist the right. (Not none. Little.)

[Nanjeanne]

7. More from Haaretz

Israel's president, opposition lawmakers and senior cabinet officials responded Sunday to the government's decision to defy a High Court of Justice ruling in a move that, if carried through, could trigger a constitutional crisis.

President Isaac Herzog said the government's decision was a "red line that must not be crossed under any circumstances." According to Herzog, such statements "harm the very core of national unity."
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said in a written statement to the court that the decision has no legal basis and "undermines the fundamental principles of the rule of law in a democratic state."

Opposition lawmaker Naama Lazimi called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest for sedition and state security offenses.

"The prime minister has declared war on democratic Israel and on the systems of government and law," the Democrats party lawmaker said. "Netanyahu is the head of a criminal organization and a criminal defendant who has taken over a state."

Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs said the government's decision did not stipulate defiance of a High Court ruling. Rather, he said, "it is sharp criticism of a decision that contradicts the explicit wording of the law."

Read gift link https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-07-05/ty-article/.premium/israeli-president-officials-push-back-against-govt-decision-to-defy-high-court/0000019f-3369-d10e-a7df-fffdb0ae0000?gift=316d88159df642e1851d12d0e17d3505]

[Mossfern]

9. Sound familiar?

The decision could affect, among other matters, possible approval for the sale of Reshet 13, one of Israel’s major commercial television networks, to a group of high-tech entrepreneurs.

I haven't finished reading the article yet, but this popped out for me.

[BurnDoubt]

10. Legitimate authority...

is tiresome to Tyrants and Evil.

[slumcamper]

12. Court of justice dismissed. Legislative and Executive dictatorship begins.

Israel has now entered its "nullification crisis" wherein the legislature refuses to abide by judicial rule.

State-run media without checks is now in play.

This will NOT end well.

HELLO....America?????

[DavidDvorkin]

13. There are two paths from here

Open dictatorship or overthrow of the government. In a parliamentary democracy, the overthrow can come by means of a vote of confidence, which could still happen in this case.

[Igel]

14. Americans project. "No culture is universal" then "we are the world"--none's universal but ours. We are the Bor...

The US SCOTUS and its take on the Constitution cannot be equated to Israel's "SC" and it's take on ... uh ... what it thinks should be.

A lot of people--and by 'people' I too often mean the NYT, WaPo, NYPo, ChiTrib, LA Times, Houston Chron--act like what SCOTUS says has textual basis--and in this they screw over a lot of peeps.

Sometimes they're utterly biased, "the plain reading of ___" applies for me, but not for 'thee'--in other words, now, just read the words, stupid! otherwise you're doltish; and a bit later, "no, no, you must understand context, symmetry, exe- and eis-gesis, CRT and APR and NPR and COE and acro-thingies I haven't invented--just reading the words will lead you into error!"

Uh, no. Any "news article" will always provide some PR, then the issue, the text of the law(s) at issue--statute or constitutional or common, per Black's--and their understanding. Otherwise, I'm reading IzvesYT or PWaPda.

In Israel, their SC has been the highest law of the land, no constraints. Public opinion? Knesset? Executive? Nah. Their esteem rules supreme. But why? Tanakh, Knesset, the people ... screw them.

Who appoints the court? Various. But to a large extent, imagine if this SCOTUS appointed a lot of the next SCOTUS. And a lot of NGOs--always representing the mainstream, as they don't in the US--got another dollop. (like/don't like, in the US major NGOs/foundations--in other words, corporations that are millionarires or billionaires, and which are legal persons--are often way

[DavidDvorkin]

15. Here's a twist: Netanyahu once said that court decisions apply to everyone

In 2015, Benjamin Netanyahu defended Supreme Court justices after a ruling on Beit El buildings, and in 2019 he said court decisions apply to all; now, as his ministers say the government will not comply with a High Court order, he has not spoken publicly

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryhovgdqmg#google_vignette