As the Knesset get ready to vote Monday on a number of controversial bills, MKs from both the opposition and the governing coalition have voiced strong criticism of the proposed laws, saying they are draconian and anti-democratic.

?We will fight Netanyahu?s draconian laws,? said Kadima chairwoman and opposition leader Tzipi Livni. ?This is an attempt to turn Israel into a dark? dictatorship.? Livni added: ?Every government minister, even if he or she opposes the laws, is part of a system that is silencing the citizens. This is not a matter of an opposition to the government; there must be a front that expresses the sane and balanced voice.?

Labor party leader Shelly Yachimovich said, ?We are under a combined attack on Israeli democracy. Netanyahu cannot hide behind Yariv Levin and Zeev Elkin. Without his support their crazy bills would not have passed.?

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, ?It?s important to defend the Supreme Court? any interference that weakens the Supreme Court weakens democracy.?

The bills include a proposal that would help the coalition get its candidate, Judge Noam Sohlberg, onto the Supreme Court. Critics say the bills, if passed, will restrict freedom of expression and weaken the judicial system.

The Knesset is also expected on Monday to consider an amendment to the defamation law that would increase compensation to libel victims to NIS 500,000 from NIS 50,000, without having to prove damages. The bill will be put to a vote on its first reading.

Another bill proposes abolishing the rule that a justice cannot be appointed Supreme Court president unless he is at least three years short of the mandatory retirement age of 70. The bill would pave Justice Asher Grunis? way to becoming Supreme Court president.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount