Weekly Commentary: Dear Pres. Herzog - Handling of Ben-Gvir Law Shows
Knesset The Venue For Resolving Disputes Democratically
Dr. Aaron Lerner 25 June 2023
Dear President Herzog,
Your initiative to reach a national consensus via a conference under your
auspices is well meaning but impractical.
At this stage of the game, neither Binyamin Netanyahu's "base" nor the MKs
in his coalition would support a move they would see as a device to derail
reform efforts.
And after Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik's recommendation today that three
key bills in the reform package can be fast tracked as committee bills the
"legislative train" has most certainly pulled out of the station.
But all is not lost. The give-and-take demonstrated inside the Knesset
committee which handled what turned out to be the first half of the
"Ben-Gvir Law" is proof positive that when the political and legal
participants in the legislative process act in good faith that it is
possible to hammer out good laws.
Before serving as president you had a long career in the Knesset, including
as a member of the 18th Knesset's Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee.
You can make a truly historic contribution to this process by finding a way
to "encourage" all sides to turn the democratic process about to unfold into
something which we can all be proud of.
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IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations
Website: www.imra.org.il
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