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Jewish federations come out against Netanyahu’s judicial reform in rare critique of internal Israeli politics
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In a rare comment on internal Israeli politics, the umbrella organization for local Jewish federations is urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop one element of his government’s controversial plan for judicial reform.
On Tuesday, the Jewish Federations of North America sent an open letter to Netanyahu and Yair Lapid, leader of the parliamentary opposition, opposing a proposed change that would allow a bare majority of Israeli lawmakers to override Supreme Court rulings. Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has 120 seats, and one piece of the plan would allow 61 members to negate court decisions that strike down laws. Lapid opposes the plan.
It is the first statement by a large American Jewish umbrella group opposing the court reform. The proposed changes have sparked mass protests across Israel and warnings from a chorus of public figures that they will damage Israel’s democratic character.
Some elements of the proposal, though not the override clause, just passed a major legislative milestone in the Knesset. A bill approved in an initial vote on Tuesday would hand the Israeli government full control over judicial appointments and bar the Supreme Court from ruling on Israeli Basic Laws, the country’s closest parallel to a constitution. Following the vote, the value of the Israeli shekel plunged.
The group’s letter also encourages the parliamentary coalition and opposition to enter into negotiations over the content of the reform, as proposed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
“We urge you to make clear that a majority of just sixty one votes of the Knesset is not sufficient to override a decision of the Supreme Court,” the letter said. “The essence of democracy is both majority rule and protection of minority rights. We recognize that any system of checks and balances will be different than those in our own countries, but such a dramatic change to the Israeli system of governance will have far-reaching consequences in North America, both within the Jewish community and in the broader society.”
In the past, the Jewish federations system and other American Jewish groups have taken action to oppose Israeli policies or proposals that could harm religious freedom or Jewish pluralism in Israel. The vast majority of North American Jews are not Orthodox, and federation leadership has worked in the past to counter measures that, in their view, could impinge on the recognition or rights of non-Orthodox Jews in the Jewish state.
Past actions on that front include convening nonprofits that work on religious freedom, lobbying the prime minister directly and — in the case of one federation leader — telling Israeli lawmakers who supported a bill to stay away from his city.
The federations’ letter does not include promises or threats of further action. But a separate statement by the Jewish federations’ CEO Eric Fingerhut and chairwoman Julie Platt suggested that they feared the court reform could hurt Israeli religious pluralism activists.
Passing the override clause would mean “complete power would be in the hands of each temporary majority created after each election,” said Fingerhut and Platt’s memo. “This concentration of power is a cause of great concern on many issues that North American Jews and our allies across the broader society have always cared about.”
The memo and the letter did not say which particular issues of concern would be affected by the change, but the court has been instrumental in protecting the rights of minorities, including non-Orthodox religious streams and the LGBTQ community.
The letter joins a growing list of public exhortations against the legislation from a wide array of groups and people. This weekend, new letters were distributed by the Conservative/Masorti movement of Judaism, 200 U.S. Jewish scientists and Arab Israeli leaders. Some of those opposing the court reform are staunch defenders of Israel in other circumstances, including Bret Stephens, the conservative New York Times columnist; Alan Dershowitz, the celebrity lawyer; and Abe Foxman, the emeritus CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.
Last month the head of the largest federation, UJA-Federation of New York, also expressed his alarm over the proposed reforms.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu again rejected a call to freeze the legislative process, a measure Herzog recommended, saying he would speak with the opposition but without “preconditions.”
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The post Jewish federations come out against Netanyahu’s judicial reform in rare critique of internal Israeli politics appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Israeli Artist Forced to Close Mexico City Exhibit for ‘Safety Reasons’ After Antisemitic Harassment, Vandalism
Pro-Palestinian protesters and vandals hold a flag during a demonstration against Amir Fattal, an openly Zionist Israeli graphic artist. They later spray-painted the facade of the private KÖNIG GALERIE gallery, where he was exhibiting some of his AI-generated works. Photo: Gerardo Vieyra / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
An Israeli artist based in Berlin was forced to close his solo exhibition at a Mexico City gallery a week earlier than planned following continued antisemitic harassment, a protest at his exhibit, and vandalism of the gallery.
Artist and curator Amir Fattal shared the news on Instagram about the closing of his exhibit, “I’m Just Here For The Pool,” at the König contemporary art gallery. The show opened on Feb. 3 and was expected to close on April 1, according to the gallery.
On March 26, pro-Palestinian activists spray-painted antisemitic and anti-Israel messages and symbols across the outer walls of the König gallery. Swastikas, Star of Davids, the word “Nazi,” and more offensive messages were spray-painted along with the number “666.” The number is used by the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist group, and it signifies the “number of the beast,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. On the door of the gallery, a vandal carved a swastika and the phrase “acqui hay terroristas,” which translates in English to “here there are terrorists.” The same phrase was written in chalk on the street in front of the gallery, according to photos shared by Reuters.
On March 21, during a guided tour of the gallery, roughly 15 demonstrators gathered outside, chanted against Fattal, and called him “a murderer” and “a Mossad agent,” according to Artnet.
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Israeli Forces to Expand Control in Southern Lebanon as Defense Chief Outlines Long-Term Security Plans
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in southern Lebanon, March 28, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will maintain security control over territory in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River even after active ground operations against Hezbollah conclude, signaling plans for a sustained Israeli security presence along the northern front.
During a press briefing, Katz pointed to a shift beyond limited cross-border raids, outlining plans for a long-term security presence and the creation of a buffer zone as part of a broader effort to reshape the security landscape in Lebanon.
Under this new plan, the IDF will move to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in border villages using operational methods similar to those employed in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, aiming to permanently eliminate the threat of cross-border raids and anti-tank fire targeting Israeli frontline communities.
“The return of more than 600,000 southern Lebanese residents who fled north of the Litani River will remain completely prohibited until the security of Israel’s northern residents is guaranteed,” the Israeli defense chief said.
Katz also announced the IDF plans to establish a new defensive line inside Lebanese territory once the ground campaign concludes.
“The IDF will maintain security control over the entire area up to the Litani River, including all bridges, while fully neutralizing Radwan’s forces and destroying their weapons,” he said, referring to Hezbollah’s elite units.
“We are determined to separate Lebanon from Iran’s influence, to uproot the snake’s teeth, and eliminate Hezbollah’s threat capability,” Katz continued. “The situation in Lebanon will change once and for all — we will enforce security just as we do in Syria and Gaza.”
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined a tougher operational approach to the campaign in Lebanon, emphasizing shifts in battlefield tactics following the heavy toll the fighting has taken.
“I have ordered our soldiers to avoid entering buildings whenever possible, using mechanical engineering equipment and heavy weapons instead,” Netanyahu said, explaining that the goal is to “minimize casualties” and to safeguard soldiers on the ground.
With prospects of potential ceasefire negotiations with Iran to end the ongoing war still uncertain, Netanyahu said Israel is shaping a new security reality along its northern border and will act independently of any agreement possibly reached with Tehran.
“Even if an agreement is reached with Iran, a ceasefire in Lebanon cannot be imposed on us — that must be Israel’s own independent decision,” the Israeli leader said.
The Iranian regime backs and ultimately commands Hezbollah, having formed the Lebanese terrorist group in the 1980s and, since then, providing significant amounts of weapons, funding, and training.
Last week, Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem warned that negotiating with Israel while under fire would amount to forced surrender, adding that his fighters are prepared to continue operations “without limits.”
With a ground maneuver underway to expand a defensive zone in southern Lebanon, the IDF says it has eliminated over 850 Hezbollah terrorists since fighting began earlier this month, while continuing to dismantle the group’s command and weapons infrastructure.
Israel has intensified strikes targeting Hezbollah, particularly south of the Litani River, where the group’s operatives have historically been most active against the Jewish state. Hezbollah opened fire on Israel earlier this month, just a few days after the US and Israel launched their joint military campaign against Iran.
Israel has long demanded that Hezbollah be barred from carrying out activities south of the Litani, located roughly 15 miles from the Israeli border.
Although the overall number of attacks has decreased, Hezbollah continues to launch significant strikes against civilian areas while maintaining sustained operations targeting IDF forces in southern Lebanon.
In just the first month of the conflict, Israeli officials report that Hezbollah has carried out more than 900 coordinated attacks, marking a sharp increase in cross-border activity and a broader expansion of its operations across the region.
On Sunday, Israeli forces intercepted a Hezbollah a terrorist cell disguised as paramedics who tried to transport weapons in an ambulance.
For years, Hezbollah has embedded command posts, weapons depots, snipers, and troops within Shiite villages, situating them in the heart of civilian centers near schools, hospitals, mosques, and main roads to turn entire communities into battlefields.
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Newest Members of the IDF’s Ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade Get Their Berets
Illustrative: Members of the Hasmonean Brigade during their beret ceremony at the Western Wall on Aug. 6, 2024. Photo: Screenshot
The third set of soldiers in the Hasmonean Brigade, the Israel Defense Force’s first ultra-Orthodox brigade, completed eight months of training earlier this month and received their dark blue berets at the end of a beret march of approximately 40 kilometers, according to the Israeli news outlet Walla.
The troops will join the regular forces of the Hasmonean Brigade, which was established in 2024 and has participated in military operations in Syria, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and southern Lebanon. Members of the brigade live an ultra-Orthodox lifestyle, and their blue berets reportedly symbolize the sky. The brigade is named after the Hasmonean Jewish dynasty that ruled Judea, and liberated Jerusalem and the Temple from oppressive Greek rule.
In February, members of the Hasmonean Brigade’s Yonatan Battalion completed its first-ever battalion-level exercise in the Golan Heights area, “marking the conclusion of the battalion’s operational certification process and its preparation for operational activity,” according to the military. During the exercise, the soldiers were trained in combat in open terrain, targeted operations, and urban warfare scenarios. It took place mere weeks after the start of the Israel-Iran war, also known as Operation Roaring Lion.
“You can be ultra-Orthodox and be a combat soldier – you are making history,” Commander of the Ground Forces, Major General Nadav Lotan, said at the time. “The Hasmonean Brigade continues to establish itself as a combat brigade within the ground forces. This exercise, along with the establishment of the battalions, marks another significant step forward. I am proud of you – the brigade’s troops and commanders. You operate at a high operational standard while preserving your unique identity.”