Front Page Mag: “Israeli democracy is in critical condition.
Sunday, the High Court of Justice ruled that the government’s natural gas policy is unlawful. The policy, which was negotiated with foreign energy companies, was to be the basis for developing the massive offshore Leviathan gas field. It was supposed to anchor future gas prices, ensure gas revenues for the government and energy security for the country in the coming decades. On the basis of this policy outline, the government negotiated deals to supply natural gas to Egypt, Turkey and Jordan.
In states not controlled by a legal junta, as the people’s elected representative it is the government’s sole prerogative to determine the state’s energy policy and to sign deals with foreign governments and investors.
But in Israel, the court gives standing to whoever it wants. Given the radical pedigree of our justices – who have engineered a process where they appoint themselves – it was not surprising that the court permitted a group of unelected radicals to petition to destroy Israel’s energy sector, and to cause the loss of hundreds of billions of shekels in future revenue to Israeli society.”
Opinion: That Israel’s energy independence is now in the control of a liberal Supreme Court is a frightening reminder that the Supreme Court of the United States is in a perilous position after the passing of Antonin Scalia.
Of all the responsibilities of the US presidency, appointing judges may be the most critical to the direction of a representative democracy.
Currently, with the absence of Scalia, the court is now divided evenly between liberals and conservatives. But a closer look tilts the court slightly to the left since Justice Anthony Kennedy often takes the liberal side.
If upheld, the financial implications of the Israeli court are a serious threat to Israel’s financial independence. In the US, a secular progressive court will be the end of America as we know it.
Period.
