Israeli Supreme Court rejects judicial restraint law, scales back war, withdraws U.S. aircraft carriers

Israeli Supreme Court rejects judicial restraint law, scales back war, withdraws U.S. aircraft carriers

The United States withdrew its Mediterranean aircraft carrier to its home country as the Israeli far-right alliance's administrative monopoly system was put on hold and the War Cabinet-led Hamas war effort was curtailed.
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled on the 1st that Prime Minister Netanyahu's far-right allies, extreme nationalists and religious parties, refused to implement the 'Law on Restricting Judiciary Powers' in the National Assembly, limiting the far-right's ability to monopolize the administration.
An Israeli official said on the 1st, “The army will withdraw its troops from Gaza this month and transition to a phase of localized ‘clearance’ operations that will last several months,” adding, “The reduction of troops will allow some reservists to return to civilian life, thereby reducing the risk of war.” “It will help revive the battered Israeli economy and secure troops in the event of a bigger conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, in the north,” he told Reuters.
Reuters continued, “The hint of steps to ease Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip came as the U.S. Navy announced that the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford would return to its homeport in Virginia after being deployed to the eastern Mediterranean following the outbreak of hostilities.”
Reuters continued, “Coincidentally, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on the 1st that the Iranian Alborz warship entered the Red Sea,” adding, “At this point, major sea routes were blocked due to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran, which supports Hamas. “It was a time of heightened tensions,” he explained, despite the heightened tensions, the withdrawal of the U.S. aircraft carrier and measures to ease Israeli military attacks.
Israel's far-right allies passed the 'Amended Basic Law on the Judiciary' in July last year, demanding expansion of West Bank settlement construction, annexation of occupied territories, permanent exemption from conscription for ultra-Orthodox men, and restrictions on Palestinian rights under a hard-line conservative system. , on the 1st, the Supreme Court ruled it invalid.
The United States had previously urged Netanyahu to shelve this “judicial restrictions” plan and seek a broad agreement across the political spectrum.
Yair Lapid, opposition leader and former prime minister, called the Supreme Court's ruling a victory for democracy, "ending a difficult year of conflict that tore us apart from within and led to the most terrible catastrophe in our history."
The Supreme Court's ruling said that the government's resolution to amend the Basic Law "completely deprived the possibility of judicial review of the reasonableness of decisions made by the government, prime minister, and ministers," and that "the amendment poses a serious and unprecedented threat to the core characteristics of Israel as a democratic state." “It causes harm.”
The far-right alliance has argued in the parliament it controls that parliament, not the high court, should have the final say on the legality of legislation and other major decisions, and Supreme Court justices have ruled that the Knesset does not have "omnipotent" power. It was ruled invalid.
The far-right's 'Basic Act on Judiciary Amendment' was evaluated as a measure of the far-right government to 'neutralize the judiciary', with the absolute superiority of the executive branch in major policy decisions such as the appointment of ministers, such as 'the court cannot overturn the decision through judicial review'.
Regarding the Supreme Court ruling, the New York Times said, “This decision is likely to reignite a serious domestic crisis that began a year ago with the right-wing government’s judicial overhaul plan, which led to massive protests that at times brought the country to a near standstill,” adding, “It threatens to undermine Israeli democracy.” “It foretells the possibility of a confrontation between the court and the ruling coalition, which will fundamentally reorganize,” he said on the 1st.
With this ruling, Israel returns to the basics of separation of powers, barring judges from using the legal concept of "reasonableness" to overturn decisions made by lawmakers and ministers.
Israel does not have a formal constitution codified in a single parliament, the presidency is a ceremonial position, and most decisions are made by the right-wing party that controls the majority in parliament.
This Supreme Court ruling was a close decision of 8:7, and the Supreme Court became the only bulwark against the power of the cabinet-led government.
The core of the Supreme Court's ruling was that the 'reasonableness' claimed by the administration was unclear and subjective.
Reuters said, “The law is part of a wide range of judicial reforms proposed by Netanyahu and his coalition of religious and nationalist partners, creating deep rifts in Israel and raising concerns about Israel’s democratic principles among Western allies,” adding, “The Supreme Court decision on the 1st “The solidarity of the emergency government can be tested in the war cabinet’s Hamas war management system, which includes both hardliners like Finance Minister Smotrich and centrist Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s judicial reform critics,” he said on the 1st.
AP said, “Opponents have argued that Netanyahu’s efforts to eliminate standards of reasonableness open the door to corruption and inappropriate appointments of unqualified cronies to key positions.”
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which opposes the bill, issued a statement calling the Supreme Court ruling "a tremendous public victory for those who pursue democracy."
“Only unreasonable governments, governments that act irrationally, and governments that act irrationally, abolish the standard of reasonableness,” Eliad Shraga, the group’s president, told the AP.
Due to this bill, which establishes an administrative dictatorship, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets every week to protest against the government from January of last year until the Israel-Hamas war broke out.
Among the protesters in July of last year were reservists, including fighter pilots and other elite troops, who predicted a 'stop work' strike if the maintenance plan is passed. These reservists are central members of the Israeli army and the war with Hamas broke out on October 7. All were conscripted.
The Israeli political system, built under the U.S. security umbrella, is ruled by the prime minister through a majority coalition in parliament, and has exercised de facto control over the executive and legislative branches. Netanyahu's far-right government enacted the 'Judiciary Restriction Act' in parliament as a strategy to attempt to control the judiciary. It was decided in
Israel's Supreme Court is the sole overseer of the executive dictatorship, and critics say the bill "allows Netanyahu and his right-wing allies to undermine the country's checks and balances by weakening the judiciary and consolidate their power over independent third branches of government." “It was revealed.
Netanyahu's far-right alliance included extreme nationalists and religious parties who had openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the court, and after their parliamentary coalition passed the bill, the country was divided in citizen protests, and the far-right alliance was defeated in the general election just before the war. .
Netanyahu's far-right alliance is similar to the administrative dictatorship of Yoon Seok-yeol's regime in its approach of replacing laws with 'executive orders' under the U.S. security umbrella and having the executive branch take control of Congress and the judiciary.