Thousands of supporters of the government's judicial reform gathered in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, a few days before the hearings on the petitions to the Supreme Court against the amendment of the Basic Law: The Judiciary and the reduction of the reasonableness standard.
The protesters called on the judges of the Supreme Court to rule that they do not have the authority to invalidate Basic Laws and that they do not have the authority to invalidate the people's election.
Ministers, Knesset members, professors, doctors, and other public figures spoke at the rally, which was organized by the Tekuma 2023 headquarters and other organizations.
Minister of Settlements Orit Strock (Religious Zionism) told participants: "I want to ask you for forgiveness. You went to the Knesset as expected from a democratic state. On every note that you put in the ballot, it was clearly written 'amend the judicial system.' You shouldn't have to be here, you should be sitting at home. But there are people here who don't know how to accept the majority's decision. They scream 'democracy,' but they really want a dictatorship. I promise that we will respect your vote, your decision, we will respect democracy. We will bring what you sent us to bring."
MK Ariel Kallner (Likud) stated: "I was asked today if we would obey the Supreme Court's ruling. I asked the interviewers if I should obey you, and they said they had no authority. The Supreme Court also has no authority. In a democratic state, the Knesset, which was elected by the people, has the authority, and not the Supreme Court which is unelected but overturns the elections, and that is really the end of democracy. A ruling branch that grants itself power is the end of democracy."
He stated that "half a year ago, the Supreme Court president lashed out against the legislative and executive branches - and that was considered okay. Judge Yitzhak Amit ruled on his brother's cases [instead of recusing himself]- and that was considered okay. It seems that in this country there are people who are worth something, but there are people who are worth more We will not surrender, we will keep fighting for the Jewish state. We will never give up on our country."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed the rally, stating: "From here, I wish to address the person sitting in the office here behind us, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut. Even if you think that the amendments that we are passing to amend the judicial system are mistaken and need to be done differently, overturning a basic law is beyond your powers, and it will harm Israeli democracy. I call on you not to make a decision that would tear apart the people of Israel, that would tear apart families in Israeli society, that would tear apart the IDF. The responsibility is yours."
Later the minister stated: "The house of the people's representatives is the Knesset. The Knesset's laws are the people's laws. Certainly, the laws that are considered basic laws."
"No one has the authority to overturn the people's laws! No one has the authority to overturn the people's basic laws! No one has the authority to overturn the people's voice! No one has the authority to overturn your voice! You voted Right, and you will get Right!"
The chairman of Tekuma 2023, Berale Crombie, commented: "The Supreme Court is ruling on Basic Laws in an undemocratic way while trying to hijack and pass a new constitutional revolution and create precedents. Instead of curbing judicial activism and taking into account the will of the majority of the people, the Supreme Court tries to rule that the Prime Minister is unfit to serve. We call on the Supreme Court not to employ the judicial activism that it attributes so much to itself. It is impossible in a democratic country for the Supreme Court to discuss Basic Laws, this when over the years they explained to us that the entire constitutional revolution of Aharon Barak is based on the Basic Law of human dignity and freedom."
MK Avichai Boaron, one of the heads of Tekuma 2023 headquarters, added: "If 15 Supreme Court judges testify that they are the sovereign, the people will have to have their say. How exactly will they have their say? I don't want to get there. I hope we don't have to get to the point where we must decide how to return the power to the people."