President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday evening hosted the swearing-in of 79 new judges, using the ceremony to address the government's judicial reform push. He said public trust in the judiciary is built daily, not through headlines, and voiced support for regulating the separation of powers via a Basic Law on Legislation — but insisted any such framework must rest on broad agreement. His remarks come as Finance Minister Smotrich and MK Rothman launch a legislative plan for the next Knesset term, and as the High Court hears petitions against the judicial selection reform.
In a speech that subtly addressed the deep constitutional tensions gripping Israel, President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday evening hosted the swearing-in of 79 new judges at the President's Residence in Jerusalem. Without directly naming the government's judicial reform package, Herzog stressed that public trust in the judiciary is built "every morning anew," not through headlines or declarations. He voiced support for regulating the separation of powers via a Basic Law: Legislation — a core demand of reform advocates — but conditioned it on "broad agreement," a phrase widely interpreted as a call for cross-party consensus.
Herzog's remarks arrive as the High Court of Justice is hearing petitions against the amendment to the Basic Law: The Judiciary, which would alter the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee — a process The Zioneer has covered extensively. Separately, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and MK Simcha Rothman earlier Tuesday launched a far-reaching legislative plan for the next Knesset term, including splitting the Attorney General's role and appointing ten new Supreme Court justices. The president's emphasis on consensus appears to stake out a middle ground, urging reform without unilateralism.
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