Opposition leader Yair Lapid and National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz announced this evening (Wednesday) that the negotiations on the judicial reform issue at the President's Residence would be frozen until there are two Knesset representatives on the judicial reform committee.
Earlier today, opposition MK Karin Elharrar (Yesh Atid) was elected to the judicial selection committee, which gives the opposition their sought-after representative on the committee. However, the coalition did not receive a representative on the committee, as Likud MK Tali Gottlieb received only 15 votes in favor while 59 MKs voted against her candidacy.
Lapid said that "although there is a representative on the committee for the selection of judges, there is no committee for the selection of judges. Today Netanyahu prevented its establishment, putting an end to the pretense that he was open to negotiations. Netanyahu used to be a fraud and strong, now he is a fraud and weak. The committee was not established, the threat to democracy has not been removed, and Netanyahu knew exactly what the consequences would be. They were made clear to him by the president and by us. Without a committee to select judges, we will not come to the president's house. As long as there is no committee - there will be no talks."
He noted that "Netanyahu made a commitment to the president, but then collapsed under the pressure of his partners. He lost the vote because even in his coalition there are decent people who value democracy and decided to put an end to the lies. Netanyahu said today: 'Stop the threats and the excuses.' The only ones who threatened him are [Justice Minister] Yariv Levin and [Bezalel] Smotrich and he surrenders to them as always."
"The most extreme government in the country's history is an unfolding disaster. It cannot manage the economy, nor its security, nor its foreign relations, and it cannot even manage itself. They have no mandate to destroy democracy and the country. They have no mandate to crush the court. They are not worthy of trust and are not capable of running the country.
"We will not stop fighting, we will not give up, we will not stop struggling, until this terrible government passes from the world and the State of Israel is freed from the chaos and rage it brings upon us every day," Lapid said.
MK Benny Gantz said: "What happened here today is that the prime minister decided to go against the state. In five words: Netanyahu against the Israelis State. He tried and failed. I congratulate the responsible members of the Knesset who made the right choice. I would like to congratulate Karin Elharrar who was selected as a representative in the judicial selection committee and Pnina Tamano-Shata who was selected as a representative in the judicial selection committee. I'm sure both will do an excellent job."
"At the same time, I am troubled because Netanyahu has fallen. Netanyahu surrendered to the extremists. He surrendered to the arsonists who want to dismantle Israeli society. His conduct raises a big question mark about his judgment on the most critical manners. It raises a question about his ability to control the coalition and abide by the results. In the current state of affairs, in which there is no functioning committee as promised - there is no point in holding talks at the President's Residence," he claimed.