Levin Rebukes Netanyahu: “Amit Is Not the Chief Justice — That’s Not Right”

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin lashed out at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday evening after Netanyahu publicly referred to Supreme Court Justice Yitzchak Amit as the president of the Supreme Court.

Following Netanyahu’s remarks from the Knesset podium, Levin reportedly confronted him, saying, “Amit is not the president of the Supreme Court. It’s not right that you recognized him,” according to Channel 12’s Amit Segal.

Sources close to Levin told Kan News that the minister’s office shared similar criticism, stating, “We haven’t heard that he was chosen as president.”

A senior Likud official said that Netanyahu had thus far refrained from recognizing Amit as the Supreme Court president but decided to do so tonight because of the uproar in the Knesset plenum after Speaker Amir Ochana refused to acknowledge him. The move was made despite the opposition of Levin and several other ministers.

During his address marking the opening of the Knesset’s winter session, Netanyahu turned to President Yitzchak Herzog and said, “Yitzhak Amit is the president of the Supreme Court, that’s a fact. But I said and added — I am the prime minister of Israel, these are the ministers of Israel’s government. That’s a fact. These facts must be recognized from all sides, not just one.”

The dispute erupted after Knesset Speaker Amir Ochana referred to Amit merely as a “Supreme Court judge,” prompting angry reactions from opposition MKs, several of whom were removed from the chamber. President Herzog deviated from his prepared remarks to pointedly call Amit “the president of the Supreme Court,” responding to Ochana, “I will not accept a lack of basic respect.”

{Matzav.com}