Israeli Cabinet Refuses to Recognize Supreme Court Rulings

The Cabinet of Israel announced it will no longer recognize Supreme Court rulings that it deems lack a lawful foundation, asserting that any judicial decision contradicting the law is void. This unprecedented escalation follows a dispute over the Second Authority for Television and Radio and the ownership of Channel 13.

The conflict began when Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi attempted to appoint new board members to the Second Authority. The Supreme Court froze those appointments due to suspected conflicts of interest, and subsequent board resignations left the body without the legally required two-thirds quorum. To prevent the broadcaster from being handed to pro-government investors, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Authority could continue operating despite the lack of a quorum.

This move, combined with President of the Supreme Court Yitzhak Amit's push for judicial intervention in the appointment of the Civil Service Commissioner to counter reforms by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompted the government's defiance. The cabinet challenged the court's authority to bypass plain statutory language, marking a severe constitutional confrontation between the executive and judicial branches.