Netanyahu Cabinet Unanimously Defies Supreme Court Order, Triggering Constitutional Crisis

New Delhi: Netanyahu's government just refused to follow a Supreme Court order. The Israeli cabinet voted unanimously on Sunday to defy the court. This is the first time in Israeli history that the government has officially rejected a court order. The crisis is deepening. The fight started last month when the Supreme Court blocked the government's plan to replace members of the media regulator SATR. The court said the current council should keep working. It said some resignations might have been forced by political pressure. Netanyahu ignored the ruling. He decided to go ahead with his plan anyway.

What did the government say?

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Justice Minister Yariv Levin issued a joint statement. They said the court has no right to override the law. They said any decision that goes against the law will not be recognized by the government. All decisions based on such court orders will be considered invalid. The cabinet also said that future decisions by the media council won't be accepted by the government either. The government claimed that the council doesn't have enough legal members. So its decisions are not valid.

What do opposition leaders say?

Former PM Naftali Bennett said that this is "the sound of jungle rule." He warned that ignoring court orders will spread chaos. It will weaken Israeli democracy. Bennett said this is serious.

Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon gave a warning. He said if the government only follows court orders it likes, this starts weakening the rule of law. This is dangerous. Once you start ignoring courts, what comes next?

What does the opposition party say?

Democrats Party leader Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of trying to weaken the judiciary before elections. He said the government is trying to make court defiance normal. Then later, if election results go against them, they can challenge those too. It's a power grab disguised as a media issue.

Press organizations and democracy groups are furious. They say this isn't just about a media regulator. This is a direct attack on democracy. This is an attack on press freedom. This is an attack on the rule of law. All three are under threat.

Why does this matter?

Israel's system depends on courts being independent. If the government can ignore court orders whenever it wants, democracy dies. The judiciary becomes useless. The government becomes a dictatorship. That's unclear. The court has to respond. It could try to enforce its order. The government denied as this could become a serious constitutional crisis. Israel has never faced this before.