As small parts of the legal reform, including the grounds of reasonableness, advance in the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Justice Minister Yariv Levin signals a battle that will be waged later. Levin occasionally replies to WhatsApp messages from his supporters. One of them wrote to him that in his view, the commission of inquiry into the Pegasus affair must be promoted "as soon as this week." Levin replied, writing, "I am focused on moving the reform, without which no committee will help," adding, "I will deal with this matter as soon as the legislation progresses."
The affair stirred the legal and political system, after dozens of cases were discovered in which the police planted sophisticated spyware and extracted information from the phones of suspects and interrogators, including those connected to the investigations of Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The coalition administration has already announced that after the Passover recess, a commission of inquiry will be established on the matter. The announcement followed an appeal by MK Moshe Saada, who demanded the establishment of a committee on the issue.
A constitutional committee hearing held last week revealed that contrary to the numbers reported by the police in the past, and contrary to the findings of the Marari Commission appointed by then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to investigate the affair, at the time spyware was used, between 2018 and 2022, the police used it on no less than 1,000 phones of suspects and interrogators. The committee's discussion revealed that the software was also planted on the devices of witnesses who are not suspected of criminal offenses.
The next battle: the Pegasus affair. Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
In the past, Levin marked the Pegasus affair as a major event. Even when he was a member of the opposition, he said of the affair that there is "shocking information that is flowing, in a great flood, about the criminal and illegal use of spyware against civilians, is an event that should keep every citizen asleep. It's not a matter of right or left."
"This is a complete violation of the most basic fairness that a democracy gives to the individual freedoms of its citizens. I turn from here to all Knesset members, coalition and opposition factions alike: Let's turn as one person to the president of the state and propose that he, together with an agreed representative of the coalition factions and an agreed representative of the opposition factions, appoint the committee that will investigate the use of the spyware." In recent days, Levin told his associates that there is no value to the committee without the reform legislation, and that he will not allow a situation in which the establishment of the committee will replace the legislation.
Levin and Smotrich are putting pressure on the prime minister to advance parts of the reform as early as the summer conference, Photo: AP
Meanwhile, pressure was exerted from Levin, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir on Netanyahu to announce the advancement of additional parts of the reform as early as the summer conference, such as passing the Attorney Generals Law in its first reading or beginning discussions on changing the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee. Last night, Netanyahu met with Levin, Amsalem and Dermer on the question of whether to advance additional parts of the reform. As of this writing, it is unknown what decision was made at the meeting.
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