The Knesset on Monday night approved the first reading of the law to reduce the cause of reasonableness. The “Reasonableness Standard Bill” is an amendment to the Basic Law: The Judiciary, that would block Israel’s courts from applying what is known as the “reasonableness standard” to decisions made by elected officials. The law was approved by a majority of 64 to 56.
All members of the coalition voted in favor of the law, while all members of the opposition voted against it. After the vote, the members of the coalition applauded, while the members of the opposition shouted, “Shame.”
The vote was preceded by a heated discussion, which began with the remarks of the chairman of the Constitution Committee, MK Simcha Rothman, who presented the proposal. “It is balanced, responsible, and significantly different from what should have been enacted,” Rothman claimed. “The cause of reasonableness is a cause that the State of Israel managed to do without for many years, and still during the dark years, believe it or not, the sun rose every morning.”
While the approval of the first reading is a small step in the judicial reform process, it’s an enormous leap forward for Israel. Reports are saying the number of protestors has dwindled again. In the end, democracy and the truth always win and there’s no stopping it.
Protest movement fails Netanyahu’s ‘reasonableness’ test, by Alex Traiman/JNS, July 12, 2023