Barak Warns Netanyahu Court Defiance Signals Worse to Come

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak told 103FM in a Tuesday radio interview that the coalition's declaration it will not honor High Court rulings is a sign of what is to come and called on the opposition to lead a public struggle rather than merge into a single ticket. You have to be blind, naive or a yes-man to refuse to see it, Barak said, arguing the government has declared itself superior to the Knesset and the judiciary. He said the Knesset was erased long ago and now the judicial branch was being erased, calling the moment the last nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy. Barak said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no restraints, accused him of sabotaging hostage deals to prevent an inquiry into the October 7 failures, and urged former security establishment leaders and opposition figures to stand at the head of the public and call on it to go out into the streets. The interview coincided with the July 5 cabinet declaration that it would not comply with the High Court ruling on the Second Authority media regulator and Justice Minister Yariv Levin's parallel push to defy the court's state comptroller ruling.