Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned the Supreme Court justices that the people are sovereign and told them not to dare destroy Israeli democracy, according to a single source. The remarks escalate the coalition's ongoing confrontation with the judiciary over the comptroller election case and Basic Laws.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed the High Court of Justice on Sunday, telling its justices: 'The people are sovereign -- do not dare destroy Israeli democracy.' The statement, reported by The Zioneer's the source, continues an escalating confrontation between the coalition and the judiciary that has played out over recent weeks.
As The Zioneer reported earlier today, Smotrich had previously told Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit to form a party if he wants to intervene in Basic Laws. The Attorney Ilan Bombach, representing the coalition in the comptroller election case, also told the justices on Sunday that the coalition would not accept their proposed compromise.
The comptroller election dispute has been a focal point of tension. Coalition MK Boaz Bismuth slammed the High Court's conditional order on the matter last Thursday, calling it a 'dark moment' in which election results become a recommendation rather than binding.
Smotrich's latest remarks, framed as a warning to the entire court rather than to a specific case, suggest the government sees the judiciary's intervention on Basic Laws as a challenge to its parliamentary mandate. No response from the court or from opposition figures has been reported yet.
- ConfirmedSmotrich tells Supreme Court president: form a party if you want to intervene in Basic Laws
- DevelopingHamas issues formal warning over Smotrich's Hebron sovereignty push
- DevelopingCritic slams Chief Justice for unilateral Basic Law veto, calls democracy 'flawed'
- DevelopingSmotrich warns of EU-backed plot to reverse West Bank settlement drive
Source and signal
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