Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and MK Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, are set to unveil a new and broad plan for changes to Israel’s judicial system, outlining measures the Religious Zionism party intends to advance following the upcoming elections.

Smotrich and Rothman are scheduled to hold a press briefing on Tuesday, where they will present the main elements of the plan and proposed steps aimed at regulating the relationship between Israel’s branches of government. The full proposal will subsequently be released to the public and is intended to be advanced after the elections.

The initiative brings judicial reform back to the center of the political agenda after Smotrich, Rothman and the coalition advanced a series of changes during the outgoing government.

Among the measures Religious Zionism points to are the cancellation of the reasonableness standard, changes to the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee, changes to the method of selecting the ombudsman for complaints against judges, and efforts to reduce the authority of the attorney general.

The party also cites the reversal of the Apropos precedent, legislation concerning rabbinical courts, and the cancellation of funding for legal representation for victims of the October 7 massacre among measures advanced during the government’s term.

The judicial proposal will be the third major policy plan Smotrich has presented ahead of the elections. Previous plans focused on reducing the number of reserve-duty days through more efficient use of manpower and expanding the settlement initiative in Yehuda and Shomron to the Negev and Galil.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)