JERUSALEM—Senior Israeli officials have raised concerns over coalition agreements being made between incoming Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
and his far-right allies ahead of the government’s swearing-in expected this week.
Unelected officials including Israel’s attorney general and police chief condemned proposed legislation that seeks to weaken the judiciary and hand politicians greater authority over law enforcement.
Israel’s president, who holds a ceremonial role and typically refrains from speaking about specific policies, condemned antigay views after Mr. Netanyahu’s partners planned to include legislation in a coalition deal that would permit religious-based discrimination against LGBT people. In a rare move, the army’s chief of staff called Mr. Netanyahu Monday to caution him against legislation that would place some military branches under the direct control of one of his ultranationalist partners.
The condemnation from top officials underscores growing concerns among certain sectors of Israeli society about the incoming government, which political analysts say will be Israel’s most right-wing and religious government in its history.
“We’ve never seen a wave of legislation like this,” said Amir Fuchs, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute, a think tank. He said the proposed changes are “a critical blow to democracy.”
An official from Mr. Netanyahu’s party said the new government will be sworn in on Thursday, although Mr. Netanyahu is still negotiating final coalition agreements with several partners. His right-wing Likud party is expected to join two ultra-Orthodox and three ultranationalist factions.
A banner calls on incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his designated coalition partners to act against perceived judicial overreach.
Photo:
AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS
During his previous rounds in office, Mr. Netanyahu largely preserved Israel’s constitutional order. In speeches since the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at WSJ.com: World News…