Appointment of Israel’s Bar Association chief is setback for Netanyahu government
New IBA chief Becher hailed his victory as a triumph for Israeli democracy
In a vote on Tuesday, Tel Aviv District of the Bar Association chairperson Amit Becher was elected on Tuesday as the new head of the Israel Bar Association (IBA).
Becher, who received 73% of the votes compared to only 20% for the government’s preferred choice, Efi Nave, constitutes a serious setback for the Netanyahu-led government’s judicial overhaul plans.
As the new Bar Association chief, Becher will be given the power to decide which two IBA representatives will eventually become part of the 9-member Judicial Selection Committee. The composition of that legal committee will likely determine the future of the Israeli judiciary.
Becher hailed his victory as a triumph for Israeli democracy.
“Yesterday was a historic day for the Israel Bar Association and Israeli democracy,” he said during a press conference, adding that the election result was “a victory that is greater than all of us — and which will become an important chapter in the history of Israeli democracy.”
Becher further vowed to “fulfill our duty to protect the rule of law and democracy.”
Earlier this week, the new IBA chief, an "advocate for the uncompromising protection against the politicization of the Judicial Selection Committee," per his personal website, made a speech at the main protest in Tel Aviv.
"The coalition’s attempt to delay the establishment of the Judicial Selection Committee by postponing the vote was “an attempt to destroy the independence of the judicial system, to appoint political judges and to control the president of the Supreme Court and destroy democracy,” he said in his speech.
The government’s judicial overhaul plans have created deep divisions in Israeli society. Proponents argue that the legal reforms will strengthen Israeli democracy. By contrast, opponents have warned that extreme judicial reforms could weaken the judiciary and ostensibly undermine Israeli democracy.
Knesset Member Simcha Rothman, who heads Israel's Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and is a leading judicial overhaul architect, is reportedly preparing a bill to severely limit judicial review of government decisions. If implemented, the bill would limit the court’s ability to probe controversial government actions.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
