Right-wing Kohelet denies report it backtracked on Israel's judicial reform

The Kohelet Policy Forum rejected "categorically false" Israeli media reports that its senior officials were meeting with government members to advise against continued judicial reform legislation, the organization told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

Channel 12 reported on Sunday night that a major contingent of the libertarian NGO, which has for years advocated for judicial reform and offered consultation on the drafting of bills, was contending that there should be a pause on legislation because it was damaging society.

Report comes after judicial reform dwindled by Netanyahu

The report comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Bloomberg on Sunday that he would next seek to implement a change in the Judicial Selection Committee, and that it was "basically what's left" of the reform. The coalition added that Netanyahu sought a broad agreement on how to alter the panel. Netanyahu's statement came after a June 29 Wall Street Journal interview in which he had said that he would drop the override clause. 

On March 14, Kohelet issued a letter saying that there was room for compromise on many of the issues, but a solution had to be provided for the appointment of judges. The NGO had called for more power for both oppositions and coalitions on the Judicial Selection Committee but with an advantage to the latter. Kohelet also said that it was possible to drop the override clause altogether.

Kohelet has not been averse to dissent in its ranks on the reform. The head of its economic forum Dr. Michael Sarel issued a letter on March 8 warning that the proposals would give the coalition unlimited power, remove the separation between branches, and degrade democratic institutions. 

A central donor for Kohelet, Arthur Dantchik, announced that he would halt his contributions to Kohelet and other research institutions over the unrest and division in Israel, Calcalist reported on Friday.