STONEWALLING: delay or block (a request, process, or person) by refusing to answer questions or by giving evasive replies, especially in politics. "the highest level of bureaucracy stonewalled us”
*MK Tally Gotliv says it best: ...protesters are just stupid"
Ministers outraged at A-G's data on enforcement
Cabinet ministers stunned to learn only 6 indictments filed in over 500 arrests at anti-government protests. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373888
Smotrich to boycott cabinet meeting with A-G
Finance Minister calls meeting a 'waste of time' after attorney general says she won't answer questions on specific cases.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he would boycott the cabinet meeting with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, calling it a "waste of time.”
"My time is too precious to waste it on futile discussions," Smotrich wrote, adding: "The attorney general has a complete conflict of interest. The protesters are protesting for her and for the preservation of the corrupting power she and her friends in the justice system have accumulated over the years.”
"Instead of wasting time talking to the deaf, the coalition should simply legislate. This is the best answer to the behavior of the attorney general.”
The Finance Minister's decision comes as Baharav-Miara stated that she would not delve into specific cases during the meeting on the grounds that several ministers have a personal interest in how law enforcement responds to the ongoing protests. She even criticized the government for holding the discussion at all.
"Especially during a protest against the policies of the government and its policies, the government must be extremely careful to avoid actions that could be interpreted as an attempt to illegitimately influence the professional judgment of law enforcement officials," the attorney general wrote in a letter to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox on Thursday.
"The law enforcement system is obliged to exercise its powers in a professional and independent manner. This independence is a central guarantee of the preservation of human rights," she added.
Baharav-Miara will be asked to provide answers to questions regarding accusations of selective enforcement against protestors according to which the current anti-government protests are given a softer response compared to the way previous right-wing, haredi or Ethiopian protests have been treated.
Smotrich will leave the cabinet meeting when the attorney general enters and not be present for that part of the meeting. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373878
Ministers demand A-G give answers on selective enforcement
Attorney General opposes Cabinet even discussing issue of selective enforcement against anti-judicial reform protests.
The government ministers will demand that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara give her answers to the government on the questions of selective enforcement against protests and the accusations that under her direction, anti-judicial reform demonstrators are treated with a much softer approach than other protesters have been in the past, Israel Hayom reported.
The ministers noted the harsh measures which have been taken against protestors against the 2005 Disengagement, settlers, and Ethiopian protestors, in contrast to what they call the lack of enforcement against the current protests when they turn violent o illegally block vital highways and Ben Gurion Airport.
On Thursday, Baharav-Miara sent a letter to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox in which she announced that she would answers in principle, but without touching on any specific cases since the ministers have a "personal interest" in the protests against the current government.
"Especially during a protest against the policies of the government and its policies, the government must be extremely careful to avoid actions that could be interpreted as an attempt to illegitimately influence the professional judgment of law enforcement officials," the attorney general wrote.
"The law enforcement system is obliged to exercise its powers in a professional and independent manner. This independence is a central guarantee of the preservation of human rights," she added.
Baharav-Miara criticized the government for even holding the discussion because, according to her, "some of the participants of the meeting have a personal interest" in harsher enforcement measures against the protestors.
"A democratic state is obliged to maintain a proper balance between the lofty and unique status of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and the public interest in maintaining public order, personal security and other rights - both of the general public and of the protesting public," she said.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin stated that the attorney general's letter was "disturbing for two reasons: first, it ignores the ongoing and unprecedented violation of the basic rights of millions of citizens to get safely to work, to the hospital, to have free access to the airport, etc. Second, it ignores the dangerous selective enforcement that takes place today and cries out to the heavens, compared to the draconian way other protests are treated, such as those of the opponents of the Disengagement, Ethiopians, the haredi public, the settlers, and the Arab public."
"The right to protest within the framework of the law is sacred and is not subject to any debate, but massive violations of the law and incitement to violence and civil disobedience require a clear and uniform enforcement policy. We will demand answers to this at the next government meeting," said Minister Levin.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accused the attorney general of "harming the rule of law and public trust" in Israel.
"Instead of doing her job and enforcing the law, she becomes a politician in essence, exceeds her authority and works full-time in the service of the opposition," Ben-Gvir said https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373874
Netanyahu: Public deserves to know there is 1 law for everyone
PM comments on the cabinet's meeting with A-G Baharav Miara on the issue of whether left-wing protestors are treated better than others. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373882
Protests against the judicial reform resume across Israel
Burning tires and a motorcycle ramming mark protests against the judicial reform.
no-one says it better:
*MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) criticized the demonstrators: "It seems the protesters are just stupid, forgive me. If they really think that canceling the reasonableness cause is a dictatorship, they are mind-engineered and brainwashed. It is clear to any sane person that the Supreme Court is authorized to intervene in any government decision for reasons of justice, proportionality, violation of human rights, etc. But the disturbed protesters do not allow the facts confuse them... honestly, it's a shame."
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