After the passing of the state budget, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be required to return to an issue that has been on hold for two months – the judicial reform and negotiations over the controversial legislation led by President Isaac Herzog.
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After a long series of talks between the parties, the situation is starting to become clearer.
The Opposition is ready to compromise on one component of the reform, the law pertaining to the attorney general, which will allow MKs to receive private representation in petitions rather than being represented by the attorney general.
In exchange, the committee for the selection of judges will convene in its current format, without any changes, and the Coalition will pledge not to make any changes to it during the current government. In addition, they will also pledge not to promote any legal-administrative measures without consensus.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Chair of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Simcha Rotman, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and other Coalition members are pushing to pass at least some of the bills during the current summer session, even if doing so would constitute a unilateral move.
Netanyahu will need to decide whether to comply with the demand of his Coalition partners or the Opposition. If he decides on the former, he will draw the ire of the Opposition, who might go back on any promises of a compromise and call for the reform to be stopped completely. If the chooses the latter, he will be risking the safety of his Coalition as members threatened to leave unless the judicial reform is promoted further.
Political officials understand that reaching a decision and a breakthrough in the talks in the near future is vital.
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Netanyahu on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to reaching a compromise on the legislation.
"We will of course continue with our efforts to arrive at a broad consensus agreement, to the extent possible, on the issue of judicial reform," he said in a video message published to social media. "I believe with goodwill and real will it's possible to come to agreements that will serve all citizens of Israel."
