Legislation8/28/2026

Commentary: Israel Needs a Basic Law on Legislation

A legal commentator for Zman.co.il calls on the future Knesset to repeal the changes enacted as part of the judicial reform and establish stricter rules for passing Basic Laws. This is an opinion piece, not a court ruling or an already approved legislative initiative.

Key facts

•The source was published on August 28, 2026
•The proposed threshold is 70 Knesset members
•Four readings are proposed for Basic Laws
•The disputed amendments concern Basic Law: The Judiciary and the Courts Law
•The investigation is proposed to be conducted under the Commissions of Inquiry Law

What Is Proposed to Be Changed

Former Supreme Court presidents Aharon Barak and Yitzhak Zamir called on the opposition parties to pledge to repeal the judicial reform laws at the beginning of the next Knesset term. The author of the commentary believes that this is insufficient: the future Knesset should also enact a Basic Law on Legislation that would restrict the ability of a parliamentary majority to change constitutional rules on an ad hoc basis.

What the New Basic Law Should Be

Under the proposed model, the law should establish the procedure for passing ordinary laws, set a stricter procedure for enacting and amending Basic Laws, and define the conditions for judicial review of Knesset legislation. Specifically, the author proposes four readings instead of three, a majority of at least 70 Knesset members in the final reading, and holding that reading only in the Knesset of the following term.

Judicial Selection and Other Controversial Laws

The author calls for repealing the amendments to Basic Law: The Judiciary and the Courts Law that changed the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee in favor of political control. Petitions against these amendments are being heard by the High Court of Justice; 11 justices participated in the hearing, but the source does not report that a ruling has been issued. The author also proposes revisiting the laws concerning the Commissioner for Complaints Against Judges, the Police Internal Investigations Department, and the Attorney General in order to eliminate mechanisms of political influence.

Dispute Over the Commission on the Events of October 7

The commentary insists on establishing a state commission of inquiry under the Commissions of Inquiry Law, without a special law or special procedure. It criticizes a proposal by Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! party to recommend that the president of the Supreme Court consult with the deputy president of the Court, the president of the State, and the speaker of the Knesset when selecting the commission's members. In the author's view, even such a limited departure from the standard procedure creates a dangerous precedent for politicizing the investigation.

What this means for you

If these proposals ever become law, it will be more difficult for the Knesset to change Basic Laws quickly, while the Supreme Court's authority to review legislation will receive a clear framework. For Israeli residents, this could affect the independence of judicial appointments and public confidence in the investigation into the events of October 7. For now, this is only the position of the commentary's author and the legal experts he cites, not a new legal order currently in force.

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