Israeli democracy in danger, President Reuven Rivlin warns

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin has warned its government against weakening the authority of its Supreme Court.

Opening the new session of Knesset yesterday, he criticised the politicisation of Israeli institutions and efforts to weaken the “gatekeepers of democracy”.

His remarks were in particularly seen as a response to moves by two of Israel’s most influential right-wing figures, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, and Education Minister Naftali Bennett to curb the ability of the court to intervene.

Mr Rivlin said: “A chasm lies between the responsible and brave effort to define, after years, the relationship between the legislative branch and the judiciary ... and the attempt to threaten the court, to weaken it as an institution.”