Building A Jewish Democracy

Ne’eman, Rivlin, Beinish Press for Judicial Review. (Jerusalem, May 15) Justice Minister Ya’akov Ne’eman, Knesset Chairman Ruby Rivlin, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Beinish support passing the so-called: “Basic Law: Legislation,” giving Israel’s Supreme Court, for the first time, the legal power to strike down Knesset legislation. See Story—IPC Site

Barely a Third of the Israeli Public Believes Lieberman’s Indictment Justified. Ha’aretz reported on April 14 that only 38% of the Israeli public believes that the indictment of Foreign Minister Lieberman is justified. An equal proportion, 38% believe that the indictment is a politically motivated step by Israel’s legal establishment to eliminate a politician it dislikes. The poll of 475 adults conducted by Prof. Camille Fuchs (expected error: 4.6%) indicates low public confidence in the probity and impartiality of Israel’s law enforcement system.

Attorney General Promotes a Favorite Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein’s decision to appoint his assistant, Raz Nizri, to the post of Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Affairs raised eyebrows among Israel’s legal establishment. Nizri acts as a glorified legal clerk, preparing briefs and handling official correspondence. Nizri’s new role means managing the largest branch of the State Prosecution and making decisions in the country’s most important criminal prosecutions. Of the candidates for the post, only Nizri has no previous experience managing a large legal staff or making independent decisions of such importance.