"This is a dictatorship": the deputy mayor set up a protest tent

In preparation for the discussions on the Basic Laws, the Reduction of the Clause of Reasonability, and the Incapacity Law, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and chairman of the 'United' faction, Aryeh King, has set up a protest tent in Saker Park near the Supreme Court: "This is a reality that cannot be accepted in a democratic country. The Supreme Court has lost all restraint and crossed its red lines."

King explained that, "The Supreme Court undermines the principle of the separation of powers in the state by holding these discussions. The Supreme Court has no authority to deliberate except by virtue of the law that empowers it to do so. The current absurdity in which the Supreme Court judges turn the table upside down and take the authority to dismiss a legitimate Basic Law, is inconceivable in any democratic country."

He further stated that the court contradicts the approach it held for the past two decades, in which it regarded the Basic Laws as a kind of constitution and now annuls their status as supreme laws according to its own needs. "The judges are playing with laws and regulations as if with playdough. Sometimes they annul laws that contradict Basic Laws, and sometimes they claim that the Basic Laws are like regular laws."

King: "The High Court has lost all restraint"

"We won't accept the reality in which the judges bend the laws according to their will. This is the dictatorship of the Supreme Court, which has lost all restraint and crossed the red lines that the judges themselves set years ago," said King.

The deputy mayor at the protest tent (Photo: No Credit)

Deputy Mayor of the city continued to elaborate on how decisions of the Supreme Court harm the integrity of Jerusalem, including the decision on the "Custodian Arrangement," which allows any Arab to claim ownership of a specific piece of land by petitioning the city's custodian until proven otherwise. Additionally, he mentioned the decision on Reform prayers at the Western Wall, contrary to the position of Israel's Chief Rabbis, as well as the decision regarding the funding of the LGBTQ+ community and granting them additional rights over other groups.

Deputy Mayor: "The city of Jerusalem needs the reform"

"The city of Jerusalem must undergo the judicial reform to counter the dictatorial decisions of the Supreme Court that are undermining every good aspect of the city," he said. In conclusion, he added, "I call upon President of the Supreme Court Esther Hayut to reconsider her decision to challenge the Basic Laws and not to add another spark to the current public uproar. The government is the authority elected by the majority, and it is not the role of the Supreme Court to challenge its legal and democratic sovereignty."

President of the Supreme Court (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90)

As previously mentioned, last weekend, the Deputy Legal Advisor of the municipality rejected King's request to set up a tent on Agranat Street, facing the Supreme Court, claiming that it would interfere with the protests against the legal reform taking place at that time. Although his request had been sent to the municipality's legal counsel a month earlier, approved by the police, and final approval had been delayed by the Deputy City Legal Advisor until last Thursday, King relocated the tent to Saker Park, where he will protest during the Supreme Court's deliberations.