Supreme Court
Supreme CourtYehonatan Waltzer, TPS

Supreme Court justices ordered Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein to respond by Monday at 5:00 p.m. on whether he will hold the vote on the election of a new Knesset Speaker by Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.

In their decision, the judges hinted to Edelstein that if he did not respond to the proposal and did not give his consent, they might accept the petition by Blue and White and rule against him.

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) responded: "The court has officially taken over the Knesset, and today the Supreme Court has turned the Knesset Speaker into a rubber stamp, with the Knesset and the plenary being run by the Supreme Court justices."

"There is no such thing in any democracy. I call on the Knesset Speaker to announce that only he will announce when the Knesset will convene and what its agenda will be."

Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Yamina) urged Edelstein "not to surrender to the Supreme Court's blatant interference in the Knesset's work and refuse to accept its dictates."

"The decision of the Supreme Court, like the very interference of [Attorney General Avichai] Mandelblit in the proceeding, is a trampling of the principle of separation of powers and must in no way be accepted. This is the moment that the Knesset should stand up for its independence from the judiciary's interference."