Last night, "Blue and White" party leader Benny Gantz dropped a political bombshell that went largely unnoticed. He called for reform of Israel’s judicial system, saying, “After October 7, the time is ripe for a move that will pass with broad consensus. This is a national need of the highest order.”
In Hebrew, we say, “Good morning, Eliyahu!” — meaning, “It’s about time you understood!”
It took what is shaping up to be one of the biggest scandals in modern Israeli history — the “Sde Teman” affair — for Gantz and others to finally open their eyes. IDF reserve soldiers were not only wrongly accused of “abusing” terrorists, but reports now show that members of the IDF prosecution team, including senior officers, conspired to fabricate evidence and conceal their wrongdoing.
When the current government came to power in 2022, one of its first initiatives was judicial reform. Many Israelis had already realized that the judiciary — especially the High Court — had steadily expanded its powers, blocking the elected majority from making essential national changes.