Yariv Levin and Esther Hayut
Yariv Levin and Esther HayutShir Torem and Olivier Fitoussi/Flash 90

Will the judicial reform be watered down? Senior officials in the Likud said on Friday that the plan presented by Justice Minister Yariv Levin is not final, and that "there will be changes in the reform", Channel 12 News reported.

According to the same sources, the plan was not intended to pass as is, but there is room for maneuver.

The Likud initially planned to approve all of Levin's legislation in its first reading and then conduct negotiations with the opposition and the judiciary, the Channel 12 News report said. However, it appears that the escalation in rhetoric on both sides has thwarted this possibility.

The comments by the Likud officials are also in line with what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday afternoon about the process being a lengthy one, and that the Knesset's Constitution Committee will discuss the reform and hear all the positions for and against it. While there will be very significant changes in the judicial system, the Likud officials said, they do not have to be radical.

On Thursday, Supreme Court President Justice Esther Hayut, in an unusual statement, strongly criticized Levin's proposed judicial reforms.

"This is an unbridled attack on the judicial system, as if it were an enemy that must be attacked and subdued. This is a plan to crush the judicial system. It is designed to deal a fatal blow to the independence and independence of the judiciary and turn it into a silent authority," Hayut said.

Levin later fired back, saying that Hayut’s criticism was proof that his proposes reforms are necessary.

"I am obliged to hold a comprehensive dialogue with the representatives of all sections of the people in order to reach the best and most balanced result. Millions of citizens, and I am among them, are determined to restore the balance between the government's branches and restore trust in the legal system in Israel," he stressed.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)