Constitutional Crisis Deepens as Ministers Resign to Block Court Authority

Israel faces an escalating constitutional crisis after members of the Second Authority for Television and Radio resigned in an apparent attempt to paralyse the body’s operations. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that the authority must continue functioning, whilst the government has declared it will not comply with the court’s decision. The resignations appear to be part of broader tensions between the government and the judiciary over the scope of executive power and court oversight.

Gadi Eisenstein, a Likud politician who previously refused to implement a Supreme Court order before resigning, warned that party dynamics are at play. “There are those in Likud whose positions are being decided by the primaries without their knowledge,” he said, suggesting that political pressure rather than principle is driving some of the government’s actions. His comments point to internal fractures within the ruling coalition over how aggressively to challenge judicial authority.

Bar Siman-Tov, head of the Israeli Bar Association, launched a scathing attack on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of flouting the rule of law. “They are lawbreakers,” he said, characterising the government’s refusal to comply with court orders as a fundamental breach of constitutional norms. The accusation reflects growing concerns among Israel’s legal establishment that the government is systematically undermining judicial independence.

The dispute highlights the deepening rift between Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration and the courts, a conflict that has dominated Israeli politics since the government began its judicial overhaul last year. The question of whether executive authority supersedes court rulings remains unresolved, with neither side showing signs of compromise.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.