Economy Minister Nir Barkat (Likud) admits that there were mistakes made in the coalition's attempt to advance judicial reform - but says that the steps currently being taken are proper and responsible.
Speaking with Israel Hayom, Barkat said, "I only want to correct - I do not want to destroy the judicial system. The original process we had pushed groups away. I support change in the direction the Prime Minister does - to do things with broad consensus."
Barkat also told Israel Hayom that he is not concerned that the judicial reform will have a negative effect on Israel's economy.
"I am really not worried. Most of the public understands that the judicial system is not perfect and needs correction. I was very involved in the talks in the President's Residence, behind the scenes, and I led meetings of businessmen who are concerned about the economy, in order to see what we agree on, what the broader common denominator is. I am telling you, and I take responsibility for this, that the broad consensus is much greater than what people think. Other than on choosing judges, we can reach agreements on almost everything. As a person who believes in the unity of the nation of Israel, I am always seeking how we can reach agreements. Even Professor Aharon Barak agrees that we need to go in the direction of agreements on the issue of reasonableness. It's not something that was signed, because in the President's Residence they said, 'Until we agree on everything, we will not agree to anything.' But we all agreed on this direction orally."
Barkat also blamed the opposition for acting irresponsibly: "A broad consensus is not with the opposition, but with the opinion of the public in Israel. It is an agreement with the public. I was a partner in the talks, and the opposition representatives agreed on most things, there were small discrepancies. We almost reached the point of signing. Unfortunately it exploded. The national interest is to reach a broad agreement. I am sorry that instead of showing national responsibility, there are those in the opposition who chose petty politics.
"And so my expectation of my friends in the opposition is: Put aside petty politics. Use the stop in the legislation, use the fact that the Prime Minister agreed to a coalition representative and an opposition representative in the Judicial Selection Committee. Instead of taking it and saying, 'Let's speed up the cooperation for an agreed-upon legislation,' the opposition has done exactly the opposite. It's irresponsible."
When asked whether the coalition would advance the reform unilaterally, Barkat said, "They did not agree to take the first step, and we cannot wait for them. As someone who managed the status quo in Jerusalem for a decade, my analysis is that the haredi will not convince the secular world how to live on Shabbat (the Sabbath) in Jerusalem, and the opposite is also true. The status quo says that we make social sacrifices in order to live together. It's not connected to whether you are right or not. We stopped the legislation. Because even if we are right, and we are right on every parameter, the unity of Israel is more important than any reform. It's better for the people of Israel to make mistakes together than divided."
Barkat also responded to claims that advancing the reform may push away potential investors or weaken the shekel.
"I have a saying about smart money and stupid money," he explained. "Smart money looks at the relative advantage of the country, whether it is worth investing here. Stupid money does not examine strategically what is being discussed and will say, 'They fear the devil here.' I can't tell people what to do. When I sat with the managers of banks in New York, they were not interested in these questions. They just weren't. They understand that we are a responsible government, that we believe in democracy, that we want corrections to democracy, and the public understands that we need to make them."
"The basis of their claim is that there is a judicial revolution and therefore the dollar is rising. I don't buy that. I don't accept that language. The moment the Prime Minister begins to deal with issues that there is a consensus on, such as the cost of living and other things, then you'll cooperate with us. I am very disappointed by the behavior of the more moderate people in the left-wing camp."