In the discussion, Levin said the most important issue for him is the appointment of Supreme Court judges, and framed his ongoing judicial overhaul push as a power struggle with what he described as a \u201csmall,\u201d \u201cradical\u201d elite controlling the courts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are willing to reach an agreement with me, I\u2019m in favor,\u201d Levin said he has told judicial leaders. \u201cBut that agreement must necessarily bring in people who have never sat on the Supreme Court before.\u201d<\/p>\n
If the judiciary refuses, Levin warned, he is prepared to wait it out, even at the cost of crippling the court\u2019s ability to function. \u201cIn the next term, another five judges will be replaced\u2026 nine appointments out of 15,\u201d he said. \u201cThat will leave them with a simple choice: either a situation in which the court essentially disappears, or has a dramatic change.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Levin accused the Supreme Court of imposing its views on the public through judicial power.<\/p>\n \t The minister also confirmed he is moving forward with disciplinary proceedings against Supreme Court President Amit following findings by the State Ombudsman for Judges of a conflict of interest, though the ombudsman, Judge Asher Kula, closed nine of the 10 ethics complaints that had been brought against Amit.<\/p>\n Levin said he appointed a lawyer to oversee the case, and added that he \u201cassumes it\u2019s a matter of a few days until he completes drafting the complaint.\u201d<\/p>\n The minister, who has been engaged in a feud with Amit for several years and has refused to meet with him for over 18 months, said again Sunday that he refuses to recognize his authority as the court president.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that I do not recognize him, the fact that I do not work with him, has enormous significance,\u201d he said. \u201cA president of the Supreme Court must have cooperation from the justice minister.\u201d<\/p>\n Levin also addressed the call for a state commission of inquiry into the failures that led to the October 7, 2023, attack, insisting that the commission should be government-led, and that Amit must not be involved.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWe certainly will not accept a situation in which Isaac Amit appoints the committee,\u201d he said, warning against what he described as a biased process.<\/p>\n Saying Amit would \u201cmetaphorically, and perhaps even physically, go to [Tel Aviv\u2019s] Kaplan Street,\u201d the home of the long-running anti-judicial reform protests, \u201cgather the committee members from there, and produce a biased report that has nothing to do with the pursuit of truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed the formation of a state commission, claiming, that as it is appointed by the judiciary, whose powers his government has sought to curb, it would be biased against the government. Late last year, his coalition voted in a preliminary reading in favor of a controversial bill to set up a politically appointed probe.<\/p>\n Critics have argued that such a commission will be highly politicized since all its members will have been selected by politicians who want to avoid being found responsible for the failures.<\/p>\n \t In his comments, Levin also detailed the coalition\u2019s latest effort to weaken the courts with a motion to be brought to a vote in the Knesset that would declare that any court orders opposing amendments to quasi-constitutional Basic Laws are null and void.<\/p>\n If passed, Levin said the bill would be \u201ca clear declaration by Knesset that says: these laws remain in force; the annulment was done without authority.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re sick of this hostility,\u201d Levin said of the courts\u2019 rulings to annul government orders on procedural or constitutional grounds. \u201cWe are not a doormat. The voter\u2019s ballot is not something that can be ignored,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Such a motion would not have the force of law, but would symbolically pit the Knesset against the High Court, and further prepare the ground for the government to disobey the court over such decisions, creating a severe constitutional crisis.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F251210YS78-e1765375095254-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tJustice Minister Yariv Levin at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F251118YS132-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tSupreme Court President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing on petitions against the appointment of David Zini as head of the Shin Bet, November 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F251119YS1291-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tJustice Minister Yariv Levin in the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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