Justice Minister Yariv Levin on Sunday laid out his plans to counter Israel’s judiciary in a discussion with dozens of Likud activists on an X livestream, warning that he is prepared to paralyze the Supreme Court, defy its rulings and advance legislation declaring court decisions void.
Recordings of the conversation, obtained and published by the Walla news site Monday, also showed Levin assailing Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, whom he has boycotted since the latter was elected, and describing his renewed push to reshape the judicial system.
In the discussion, Levin said the most important issue for him is the appointment of Supreme Court judges, and framed his ongoing judicial overhaul push as a power struggle with what he described as a “small,” “radical” elite controlling the courts.
“If you are willing to reach an agreement with me, I’m in favor,” Levin said he has told judicial leaders. “But that agreement must necessarily bring in people who have never sat on the Supreme Court before.”
If the judiciary refuses, Levin warned, he is prepared to wait it out, even at the cost of crippling the court’s ability to function. “In the next term, another five judges will be replaced… nine appointments out of 15,” he said. “That will leave them with a simple choice: either a situation in which the court essentially disappears, or has a dramatic change.”
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Levin accused the Supreme Court of imposing its views on the public through judicial power.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, December 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The minister also confirmed he is moving forward with disciplinary proceedings against Supreme Court President Amit following findings by the State Ombudsman for Judges of a conflict of interest, though the ombudsman, Judge Asher Kula, closed nine of the 10 ethics complaints that had been brought against Amit.
Levin said he appointed a lawyer to oversee the case, and added that he “assumes it’s a matter of a few days until he completes drafting the complaint.”
The minister, who has been engaged in a feud with Amit for several years and has refused to meet with him for over 18 months, said again Sunday that he refuses to recognize his authority as the court president.
“The fact that I do not recognize him, the fact that I do not work with him, has enormous significance,” he said. “A president of the Supreme Court must have cooperation from the justice minister.”
Levin also addressed the call for a state commission of inquiry into the failures that led to the October 7, 2023, attack, insisting that the commission should be government-led, and that Amit must not be involved.
Supreme Court President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing on petitions against the appointment of David Zini as head of the Shin Bet, November 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
“We certainly will not accept a situation in which Isaac Amit appoints the committee,” he said, warning against what he described as a biased process.
Saying Amit would “metaphorically, and perhaps even physically, go to [Tel Aviv’s] Kaplan Street,” the home of the long-running anti-judicial reform protests, “gather the committee members from there, and produce a biased report that has nothing to do with the pursuit of truth.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed the formation of a state commission, claiming, that as it is appointed by the judiciary, whose powers his government has sought to curb, it would be biased against the government. Late last year, his coalition voted in a preliminary reading in favor of a controversial bill to set up a politically appointed probe.
Critics have argued that such a commission will be highly politicized since all its members will have been selected by politicians who want to avoid being found responsible for the failures.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin in the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
In his comments, Levin also detailed the coalition’s latest effort to weaken the courts with a motion to be brought to a vote in the Knesset that would declare that any court orders opposing amendments to quasi-constitutional Basic Laws are null and void.
If passed, Levin said the bill would be “a clear declaration by Knesset that says: these laws remain in force; the annulment was done without authority.”
“We’re sick of this hostility,” Levin said of the courts’ rulings to annul government orders on procedural or constitutional grounds. “We are not a doormat. The voter’s ballot is not something that can be ignored,” he added.
Such a motion would not have the force of law, but would symbolically pit the Knesset against the High Court, and further prepare the ground for the government to disobey the court over such decisions, creating a severe constitutional crisis.
Is accurate Israel coverage important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day during the past two years of war and rising global anti-Zionism and antisemitism, our journalists kept you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fact-based coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So we have an ask for this new year of 2026: express your values by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel