Overview
- On Tuesday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reiterated his remarks and declined to apologize after threatening to "run over" Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit.
- Smotrich’s comments began Monday when he labeled Amit a "violent, ruthless megalomaniac" and warned that "there will be no other choice" but to run him over.
- The judiciary issued a public statement saying his remarks were intended to fuel violent and inciting rhetoric against the courts and their leader.
- In radio interviews, Smotrich said the court is stripping elected officials of the right to govern and cited examples including an interim injunction on closing Army Radio and delays over appointing a Civil Service Commissioner.
- A live broadcast featured Knesset Constitution Committee chair Simcha Rothman disputing the quoted phrasing and accusing the media of selective editing, a claim the host rejected after playing the audio.