TERRORISM IS ON THE RISE IN ISRAEL

Tragically, this week two Israeli teenage brothers were killed by terrorist violence in the West Bank town of Huwara.  Tragically, ‘settlers’ from the nearby village responded with violence and vandalism.  Tensions remain high in the area as the IDF tries to locate the perpetrator of the two murders.

Addressing the Knesset, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned recent settler riots and vandalism in the Arab town of Huwara on Highway 60 in Samaria. 

Following a Palestinian terrorist shooting attack that killed two Israeli brothers while they drove on the highway through Huwara, Jewish protestors arrived in the town, with angry extremists among them who set 35 homes and shops on fire and burned a pair of junkyards and cars in the town.

“With all the fervor and the passion, there is no place for anarchy; we will not accept anarchy,” Netanyahu said. 

The Israeli premier blasted the targeting of innocent people. 

“We will not accept a reality where people … set homes on fire, burn cars, intentionally harm innocent people. This is exactly what our enemies want to see: a loss of control and a never-ending cycle of blood, fire, and smoke,” Netanyahu said.

PURIM IS COMING

On the evening of March 6th (14 Adar), the worldwide Jewish community will celebrate the Festival of Purim.  Purim dates from the time of Queen Esther and celebrates the providence of God, preserving the Jewish people of the ancient Persian empire from the anti-Semitic plot of Haman, number two in command and a descendant of Agag.  You can read the story in the Book of Esther and join us in celebration.  As we’ve shared in prior years, in Israel, the day is one of the parades, dressing in costume, and parties.  King Solomon said ‘there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9), and as we see the worldwide rise in anti-semitism, we must remain ever vigilant.  Celebrating God’s great deliverance of our people annually reminds us of His eternal promises to our people and His faithfulness.

PROTESTS OVER JUDICIAL REFORM IN ISRAEL

Judicial reform 101: What you need to know about the protests in Israel

Critics claim proposed reforms to Israel’s judicial system are too extreme, taking away the power of the Supreme Court instead of limiting it in beneficial ways

Tens of thousands of Israelis have been taking to the streets to protest against the new government’s plan to impose radical changes to the Jewish state’s judiciary.

Now, it’s important to remember – judicial reform is not necessarily a bad thing. 

For years, politicians and people from both sides of the political spectrum have been arguing that changes needed to be made because Israel’s High Court of Justice is too powerful. However, critics claim the proposed reforms are too extreme, taking away all of the power of the Supreme Court instead of limiting it in more beneficial ways.

So what do these judicial reforms entail?

To summarize, the biggest concerns about these judicial overhaul plans are how they will dramatically weaken the High Court of Justice and secure political control over judicial appointments.

Here are the main five components of the judicial reforms:

1. Override clause
The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) would be able to override Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority of 61 votes out of the 120-seat Knesset.

2. Appointing judges
The reforms would change how Supreme Court justices are selected, essentially giving the ruling government coalition control of appointing them. 
Today, judges are chosen by a committee of nine members: Three Supreme court judges – including the High Court president – two representatives of the Israel Bar Association, and four members who are elected representatives (two ministers and two Knesset members).
If these reforms are passed, the two representatives from the Israel Bar Association would be replaced by two public representatives who are chosen by the justice minister. This would give the sitting government a majority of the votes for selecting judges. 
In other words, the ruling government would have five out of nine seats in the committee when it comes to appointing new Supreme Court justices.
But keep in mind, this is a reform that has been pushed for quite some time, because there are many who believe the Israel Bar Association has no place on the committee, and that those selecting Supreme Court justices should be more reflective of the public.

3. Earlier retirement age for justices
Today, the Israeli Supreme Court has 15 judges. Once appointed, judges serve until retirement at the age of 70, unless they are removed or choose to resign from office. The judicial reforms would lower the age of retirement for Supreme Court justices to 67.
If enacted, the move would require four out of the 15 currently serving judges to step aside. This would mean that the new government would be able to fill those places with its own selections according to the rules of the new judicial reform.
It should be noted that there has been a push in the past to do this because many argue there needs to be new blood and more of a variety of Israeli society in the High Court.

4. Test of Reasonability
The Supreme Court would no longer be able to judge Knesset legislation, appointments, or other government decisions on the grounds of “reasonability.”
What does that mean? Here are two examples.
Last month, the Supreme Court decided to rule that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appointment of Aryeh Deri,  head of the Shas party, as a minister was “highly unreasonable” due to his past criminal convictions. If the Supreme Court hadn’t done that, Deri – who was convicted of fraud and corruption – would currently be serving as a minister in the Israeli government.

In 2007, when the Supreme Court ruled that the government’s decision not to reinforce classrooms in Sderot against missile attacks was “unreasonable.” Sderot is a southern Israeli town that borders the Gaza Strip, and local residents only have about 15 seconds to reach bomb shelters, which is why the Supreme Court said it would be unreasonable to expect entire classrooms to be able to run to a bomb shelter in time during an attack. The court ordered then-prime minister Ehud Olmert to immediately reinforce the schools.

5. Legal Advisers
The plan also includes changing the law so that government ministers will be able to appoint their own legal advisers, which is not in their authority currently. Today, ministers get counsel from advisers operating under the Justice Ministry – aka the judiciary. 
These reforms would mean that government legal advisers would also lose the ability to make binding decisions, and would only be able to issue advice. Each ministry has a legal adviser who says what is legal or not according to the law – and the current government argues that the legal advisers who are appointed by the judiciary are biased.

What do protestors against these judicial reforms believe?

Opponents argue that the reform will give the ruling government coalition too much power to do whatever they want.
They believe that the reforms wilL upset Israel’s system of checks and balances as a result, and grant too much power to the executive branch. They are concerned that the reform will allow the government – which is Israel’s most right-wing and religious to date – to begin overturning existing laws that protect the rights of minority groups, women, and individuals. 

Plus, they say this judicial reform is all about Netanyahu, who is on a mission to evade conviction in his ongoing corruption trials and wants to do so by using his own government to override Supreme Court rulings that may go against his desires. 

What do supporters of these judicial reforms believe?

Supporters believe the Supreme Court has too much power and that the plan will strengthen democracy by correcting the balance between the branches. They point to the United States as an example, where Supreme Court justices are chosen by politicians, the president, and senators. 

They say Israel has no written constitution, which calls into question the moral basis for Supreme Court rulings that override the Knesset’s decisions by claiming they are “unconstitutional.”

How should we respond and engage with these proposals:

Prayer, prayer, prayer – that reason and righteousness would prevail.

MINISTRY IN MISSISSIPPI

PARTNER WITH US IN PRAYER

• against terrorism in Israel
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• cessation of war in Ukraine
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We are grateful to receive a partial salary from King of Kings to help with the work of ministry, and as God opens new doors for us, we know He will supply the needed resources to enable us to minister from Israel and to the Nations.  May God continue to bless you as you continue blessing us and Israel.

There are a few options if you are prompted to partner with us financially:

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Hag Sameach Purim!  May you feel God’s pleasure as we recount the story of Esther, Mordechai, and Haman (boo) and of God’s faithfulness to protect and provide for His people.  
Who knows but that you have come into the Kingdom for such a time as this.

Michael & Patricia