Transportation Minister Miri Regev (Likud) on Thursday morning responded to the Supreme Court hearing held to discuss the Incapacitation Law.
"Today we will find out if three judges will retire democracy in Israel," she said.
Regev was referring to a petition filed against the Incapacitation Law. The law requires 75% of the government and 80% of MKs to support a move to force a prime minister to retire, and allows such a move only for medical reasons.
Supreme Court justice Uzi Fogelman, who is one of the three judges hearing the case, declared that "the Supreme Court has the authority to issue judicial criticism on Basic Laws, in its expanded composition."
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut chastised attorney Eliad Shraga, head of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, saying that she expects to hear a legal claim and stating, "Don't warn - give us a legal claim for your request."
Despite the fact that the law under question is part of a Basic Law, MK Benny Gantz (National Unity) claimed that, "If the government does not respect the court's ruling, Israel will not be a democracy. The responsibility [for this] is on the Prime Minister."
Basic Laws form Israel's de facto constitution, and the original intention by the early governments in Israel was that following the completion of a series of Basic Laws, the laws would be compiled to form an official constitution. Due to the various wars and military operations which took time from legislation, the compilation has not yet happened and the series of Basic Laws is not yet complete. However, the Israeli Supreme Court still regards Basic Laws as the Israeli constitution, and thus far has not invalidated any of them.