High Court judges have issued an interim order requiring the government to forward its answer on the issue by Sunday • President Hayut: "If they commit to the appointment of ministers - it will be given a chance"
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut
Photo:
Oren Ben Hakon
The High Court today (Thursday) issued a conditional order requiring the government and its head to explain to the court why they will not without delay fill all ministerial positions in the government. They must submit the reasoned answer by next Sunday. In effect, he accepted the petition for the quality of government and movement To the purity of morals in the subject.
Currently, the ministries where no ministers have been appointed are the Ministry of Justice, Communications, Water Resources and Higher Education, Science and Technology and Social Equality.
According to the petition, leaving the ministries without ministers is dangerous to the Israeli regime and could cause enormous damage to the public interest.
The ombudsman, Avichai Mandelblit, gave his answer to the petition a few days ago in which he suggested to the Movement for the Quality of Government to wait until the beginning of May with the petition.
During the hearing, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut hinted that the court's opinion was uncomfortable with the current situation: "The governmental space leads to a situation of extreme unreasonableness.
Judge Uzi Vogelman added: "The appointment of ministers is not a political matter, it is a clear constitutional and regime matter."
The State Representative, Adv. Moriah Freeman, replied: "The Spokesman emphasized the importance of the appointments and addressed the members of the government many times on the subject."
The Movement for Quality of Government, one of the petitioners, commented on the decision: "We seem to have taken another step into the abyss today, when the Supreme Court of Israel was forced to intervene in the appointment of ministers, just because a criminal defendant decided to take an entire country hostage."
"The State of Israel is paralyzed. The cabinet does not convene, public health is harmed, Holocaust survivors are trampled, human rights and citizens are violated - and yet, the government and its leader refuse to fulfill their basic duty and appoint ministers. We very much hope that by Sunday the government will recover. "Once again put his hands in the burning fire and take out the hot potatoes for it," they said.
The head of the Bar Association, Adv. Avi Chimi, welcomed the decision and said: "One of the main functions of the Bar Association is to maintain and act for the rule of law, and to be a full partner in maintaining the proper functioning of democracy in Israel."
