(Wall Street Journal) Bezalel Smotrich - The U.S. media has vilified me and the traditionalist bloc to which I belong since our success in Israel's November elections. In reality, we seek to strengthen every citizen's freedoms and the country's democratic institutions, bringing Israel more closely in line with the liberal American model. On matters of religion and state, the new government will never seek to impose anything on a citizen that goes against his or her beliefs. For example, arranging for a minuscule number of sex-separated beaches, as we propose, scarcely limits the choices of the majority of Israelis who prefer mixed beaches. It simply offers an option to others. Israel's justice system needs urgent reform to restore democratic balance. In the U.S., elected politicians appoint federal judges, including Supreme Court justices. In Israel, sitting Supreme Court justices have veto power over new appointments to the court. We seek to appoint judges in Israel in a process similar to America's, and to define the attorney general's scope of authority in a manner similar to what's set down in America. The writer is head of Israel's Religious Zionist Party and the incoming finance minister.
2022-12-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive