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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly acknowledged to associates that an escalation in security could force him to delay final votes on the first judicial reform legislation the coalition is seeking to pass before the end of the month.
Netanyahu has assured his associates that he is committed to passing the controversial bill to block judicial review of the "reasonableness" of elected officials' decisions before the end of the Knesset's summer session, the Knesset reported. Tuesday the station Public kan, according to a publication in The Times of Israel.
But the only scenario in which the prime minister would agree to delay final votes on the legislation until the autumn parliament session would be if there was an escalation of security, the network said, citing officials familiar with the matter.
It was unclear which front Netanyahu was referring to, following months of violence in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) as well as recent tensions with the Hezbollah terror group on Israel's northern border with Lebanon.
In response to the report, Netanyahu's Likud party said the prime minister has no intention of delaying the legislation.
The prime minister will need the support of almost all members of his party to pass the legislation.
In late March, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for the review to be halted amid a wave of protests from IDF reservists who vowed to stop reporting for duty if the controversial legislation was passed. Netanyahu began talks with the opposition with the aim of reaching a compromise on judicial reform.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd from right) attends a security briefing during an IDF operation in Jenin on July 3, 2023. IDF chief Herzi Halevi on the left and next to him Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Ronen Bar, director of the Shin Bet, is in the center. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
After the talks failed last month, Netanyahu embarked on signing off on the renewed legislative push, starting with the reasonableness bill.
Recent days have seen a resurgence of reservist protests, although a security official told Channel 12 that the military leadership is not currently concerned about the damage to IDF readiness. However, the official speculated that if the assessment changes, Gallant could speak out, as he did in March.
Earlier Tuesday, a key lawmaker from the coalition responsible for promoting the controversial bill said he did not expect to make significant changes to the text of the legislation as it began preparing it for final votes in the Knesset.
“I will say clearly that I am not convinced that the bill should be changed at its core,” lawmaker Simcha Rothman told Army Radio.
Rothman chairs the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, which reconvened on Tuesday afternoon to prepare the bill for its final votes, in accordance with the coalition's schedule to pass the legislation on 30 April. July.
Responding to criticism that the bill's vague language may allow it to apply to the decisions of a large portion of elected officials, Rothman told the committee that the bill only applies to the cabinet and its ministers, and currently it does not extend to municipalities.
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