Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi responded Sunday evening to President Isaac Herzog's warning against defying the High Court, questioning why the president did not speak out when the court issued a ruling contradicting an explicit law clause two weeks ago. Karhi said the government is working to return the state to its citizens and will obey the law, not what he called illegal High Court decisions. He also cited a quote from Yitzhak Rabin about the court being subject to the law.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi responded Sunday evening to President Isaac Herzog's warning against defying the High Court, questioning why the president did not speak out when the court issued a ruling that the minister says contradicted an explicit law clause two weeks ago. 'Where was the president then? He kept silent,' Karhi said in a statement. Karhi asserted that the government is working to 'return the state to its citizens' and will obey the law, but not what he termed 'illegal High Court decisions.' He also invoked a quote from Yitzhak Rabin about the court being subject to the law.
The exchange follows President Herzog's statement earlier Sunday evening, first reported by The Zioneer at 19:32 Jerusalem, in which he warned that defying a High Court ruling is 'a red line that must not be crossed.' Herzog's office confirmed his remarks. By 19:32, The Zioneer had also reported that opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the government's decision. Karhi's rebuttal, issued hours later, escalates the confrontation: earlier Sunday evening, The Zioneer reported at 18:36 Jerusalem that Karhi had called the government's decision to oppose the High Court's ruling on the Second Authority 'historic and unprecedented' – a position that continues to frame his current attack on the president.
As The Zioneer reported on June 22, Karhi has previously called for abolishing the High Court altogether. The current standoff centers on the government's refusal to comply with a High Court ruling regarding the Second Authority for Television and Radio, a decision the government formally notified the court it would not abide by, as The Zioneer reported earlier Sunday.
It remains unclear whether the government will follow Karhi's stated position or whether the president's warning will prompt a change in course. No further comment from Herzog's office has been reported.
4 developments
- StrongMinister Shlomo Karhi: Government's defiance of High Court on Second Authority is 'historic and unprecedented'
- DevelopingMinister Karai warns 'red light' on Supreme Court justices ignoring law, in Ynet interview
- StrongGovernment Secretary Fuchs: I did not call to defy High Court ruling
- DevelopingMinister Karhi says High Court may nullify general election results if it disapproves
Source and signal
- Internal intake