Amid the ongoing debates on the government's judicial reform program, Likud MK Tally Gotliv has expressed her strong disapproval of a proposed compromise on the part of MK Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee, calling it "submitting to the Left."
On Sunday evening, reports emerged that the government, while intending to pass its reforms relating to the selection of new judges before the Passover recess of the Knesset, has watered down those reforms in order to appeal to those seeking consensus. The compromise now being proposed would see the government with an automatic majority on the Judicial Selection Committee, but only using that majority to appoint two Supreme Court judges during each term of government. Any further appointments would require the agreement of at least one opposition MK and at least one judge on the committee. The overturning of the judges' veto of new appointments, included in Rothman's original proposal, would remain under the terms of the compromise.
"I didn't know that the word 'submission' was simply another way of saying 'moderate,'" Gotliv told Kan Reshet Bet on Monday. "This isn't a compromise -- it's a surrender to the Left." Nonetheless, she insisted that when it comes to a vote, she will obey coalition discipline and vote along with her colleagues. "I will vote along with everyone else in the coalition. But until then, I will be furious with my friends in government."
"Netanyahu is a superb statesman," Gotliv added. "What I want to know is, why didn't he address the nation immediately after [Justice Minister Yariv] Levin put forward his proposals for reform? Who is this Miara to tell him what to do? Why didn't he just fire her? What's he afraid of?"
Indeed, attorney-general Gali Beharav Miara has barred the prime minister from discussion or in any way involving himself in his government's legal reform package, citing his "conflict of interest" due to his ongoing trial on corruption charges. Meanwhile, members of the judiciary whose authority would be sharply curtailed if the reforms pass remain at liberty to express their opinions regardless of conflict of interest.
MK Gotliv is not the only Likud member to have expressed her opposition to any watering-down of the judicial reform proposals. Writing on Twitter, MK David Amsalem stated that, "This is not the time to be backing down or making concessions. That's not what we won the elections for." He added that he "will not support this move." Gotliv herself was more outspoken on a private Likud WhatsApp group, where she wrote that, "I'm not a puppet or a pawn on the Constitution Committee. Rothman is chairing the committee and basically, he's backed down in a totally embarrassing way. I won't be turning up at committee meetings anymore. What did we fight for? I'm ashamed."