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Netanyahu defends criticism of High Court following gas deal ruling
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday defended the right to criticise the High Court, after it was accused of excessive judicial activism by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, due to its recent ruling blocking the passage of a controversial agreement between the state and major investors in Israel’s nascent natural gas industry.
Responding to a petition by opposition parties, the High Court said last week that the deal would be cancelled within a year, unless an alternative is found to the so-called “stability clause,” which ensures that no changes to the agreed regulations can be made for ten years.
It throws further doubt over the protracted agreement between the government and primary investors, Israeli company Delek Drilling and American firm Noble Energy, who hold controlling stakes in the Leviathan and Tamar off-shore natural gas fields, which are thought to contain around 800 billion cubic metres in gas, enough to supply the Israeli market for a century. The agreement regulates the industry, including the share of the profits, but has been opposed by Israel’s Antitrust Regulator, while public protests have taken place accusing the government of bowing to corporate greed.
Addressing the High Court ruling at the Israel Bar Association conference, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked took the unusual step of publicly criticising the judiciary. She said that the court had overstepped its authority, ruling on “political and refined macroeconomic questions” which should be the purview of the Knesset. She added, “I hope that we will not become a country that devours its investors.” Opposition MK Shelly Yachimovich called Shaked’s comments “dangerous” and senior Zionist Union leader Tzipi Livni said they amounted to a “political sword” in the court’s back.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu weighed in on the debate. He said, “I respect the court and the judges and their decisions,” but that “everyone has the full right to criticise these decisions.” He added, “In a strong democracy like ours, nobody is above criticism.”