Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday accused the High Court of Justice of running a protection racket and extortion by threats, saying the matter requires a police investigation, according to a statement from Smotrich.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich escalated his attack on the High Court of Justice on Tuesday morning, accusing the justices of running a 'protection racket' and engaging in 'extortion by threats,' and calling for a police investigation. The remarks, which Smotrich made in a statement, come minutes after an earlier accusation in which he slammed the High Court over its handling of the government's response, as The Zioneer reported at 09:38.
Smotrich's latest salvo is the most pointed in a series of confrontations between coalition leaders and the judiciary. Over the past weeks, Smotrich has accused the High Court of extortion, warned it not to destroy Israeli democracy, and said the people are sovereign. The current dispute centers on the High Court's intervention in the election of the state comptroller and its review of Basic Laws.
The call for police investigation marks a new level: Smotrich explicitly says the court's conduct constitutes criminal activity that law enforcement must probe. No official response from the High Court or the Justice Ministry has been reported.
4 developments
- StrongLevin responds to High Court warning: judges must do soul-searching, respect the law
- StrongJustice Minister Levin accuses High Court justices of acting 'like dictators'
- DevelopingSmotrich warns High Court: the people are sovereign, do not destroy Israeli democracy
- StrongSmotrich: Millions approved for protection-racket victims, demands police crackdown
Source and signal
- Internal intake