Simcha Rothman
Simcha RothmanArutz Sheva

MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), head of the Knesset's Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, surprised many when he decided to speak at the Annual Law Conference held by the Israel Bar Association, despite his deep disagreements with its leaders.

"There is no doubt that there are pretty deep ideological disagreements in our discourse," Rothman told Israel National News - Arutz Sheva. "My way was never to boycott. A place which invites me - certainly the Israel Bar Association - I will go there. When there is a desire for discourse - from my perspective this is always praiseworthy - and I hope that there will be open discourse. Disagreements can be very harsh but at the same time it's possible to hold open discourse."

Rothman was also asked whether in his opinion, Attorney General Gali Baharav-MIara should be fired for her conduct, after she submitted a legal opinion in contradiction to the opinion of the Justice Minister.

"From the Knesset, I cannot fire anyone - that is not part of my position or authority," he explained. "I definitely think that the State of Israel needs an Attorney General. As of today, I don't know who she is representing, and one of the most problematic things, in my eyes, is that she writes that she is representing the position of the public."

"I don't remember anyone going to elections and voting in Gali Baharav-Miara. As talented as she may be, she cannot say that she represents the public. The government needs representation, and as of today, it is not receiving it from the Attorney General."

Regarding whether Israel is nearing a constitutional crisis, Rothman said, "We have been in a constitutional crisis since the Supreme Court decided to take for itself the power to cancel laws. Afterwards it interfered in administrative decisions, and afterwards on Shabbat in Tel Aviv, and everyone saw the results of the constitutional crisis on the issue of the infiltrators. This is how a country run by the Supreme Court looks - because the policy on the matter of the infiltrators was set only by the court, and not by anyone else."

In his opinion, the government must advance the judicial reform, but aim for agreements.

"The reform must advance, and in my opinion, a lot of people understand this. Even among the opponents of the reform, there is an understanding that we need a fundamental correction to the judicial system. Everyone wants this to happen by broad agreement, as much as possible," he concluded.