Uproar in Israel

Uproar in Israel

Subject : International Relations

Section: Msc

Context:

• Israel’s planned overhaul of the judiciary had led to massive protests across the country for months.

What exactly do the planned laws propose:

• The draft laws propose to change the composition of the nine-member committee that selects judges. This panel currently has the minister of justice and another minister, the Supreme Court president and two judges, two Knesset members, and two representatives of the bar. Under the new proposal, government-nominated members would be in a 7-4 majority in an expanded committee.
• The government also wants to enable the 120-member parliament, or Knesset, to override any Supreme Court judgement by a simple majority of 61 votes unless those rulings are unanimous.
• Third, it also seeks to scrap the test of “reasonability” which the apex court has previously used to strike out executive practices
• The government also wants to allow ministers to choose their legal advisors instead of using independent professionals.

Political and Administrative system of Israel:

• Israel is a parliamentary democracy with a multi-party system.
• The President of Israel is the head of state and holds a largely ceremonial role.
• The President of Israel is elected for a single seven-year term by the Knesset and a separate assembly of local government representatives.
• The Prime Minister is the head of government and has the most significant political power and is usually the leader of the largest party in the Knesset or the head of a coalition of parties.
• The Knesset is Israel’s unicameral parliament and has 120 members elected for four-year terms through a proportional representation system. The Knesset passes laws, approves budgets, and oversees the work of the government.
• Israel has a multi-party system, with parties representing a wide range of political ideologies.
• The electoral system in Israel is based on proportional representation, with seats in the Knesset allocated based on the percentage of votes received by each party.
• Israel’s electoral threshold is set at 3.25%, meaning that a party must receive at least 3.25% of the total votes cast to be represented in the Knesset.
• The Israeli government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial.
• The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister, who appoints other ministers to form the cabinet.
• The cabinet is responsible for making policy decisions and implementing laws.
• The legislative branch consists of the Knesset, which is responsible for passing laws and overseeing the work of the government.
• The judiciary is independent and has the power to interpret and enforce laws.
• The Supreme Court of Israel is the highest court in the country and has the power to strike down laws deemed unconstitutional.
• Israel is divided into six administrative districts, each headed by a governor appointed by the Ministry of the Interior.

The districts are further divided into municipalities, which are responsible for local government functions such as education, health, and sanitation.