Israel polls: How a drowning Netanyahu is desperately grasping at straws with ‘legislative blitz’

The Knesset, Israel’s national law-making body, formally dissolved on July 17 after completing its full four-year term for the first time since 1988.  

But in the final week before its formal dissolution ahead of October elections, the coalition government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu passed a number of controversial laws in what Israeli analysts have called a “legislative blitz”.

The measures systematically target the few remaining institutional restraints on executive power, attempt to protect ultra-Orthodox allies from mandatory military service, and tilt media regulations in favour of sympathetic outlets.

Israeli publications have described the series of legislation as designed to shore up the right-wing alliance and reduce checks and balances.

Analysts say the legislative spree shows Netanyahu, already the longest-serving Israeli premier, is fighting for his political survival – a fact reflected by his poor showing in pre-election public polls. 

The so-called blitz consists of laws limiting the attorney general’s binding authority over government decisions, a Basic Law elevating Torah study to a foundational state value, a temporary ban on arresting Haredi draft dodgers, and a media overhaul expanding political influence over broadcasting regulation.

Gokhan Batu, a Levant studies analyst at the Ankara-based Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, says the legislative blitz is part of a bigger confrontation between Netanyahu and the judiciary.

“The one area where the coalition has displayed almost complete unity is judicial reform, particularly measures aimed at restricting the powers of the Supreme Court and the attorney general,” Batu tells TRT World.

“The coalition has effectively declared war on the judiciary,” he adds.

Batu notes that public polls already signal a “highly challenging” election for Netanyahu and his allies.

While the opposition has not yet secured a clear path to a governing majority, an eight-seat gap in the 120-member legislature remains significant, he says.

The Knesset passed the Basic Law concerning Torah study by yeshiva students – mostly men who study Jewish religious texts in a dedicated academy known as yeshivas.

It also postponed the detention of Haredim – ultra-Orthodox Jews who strictly adhere to Jewish law and live in insular communities – for failing to respond to call-up orders until November.

Batu says the main controversy, however, is around the effort to restrict the attorney general’s powers and divide the office’s responsibilities.

Under the Israeli system currently in place, the attorney general can issue binding decisions on the legality of government action.

The recently passed legislation, which will become effective two months after the elections, will allow ministers to reject the attorney general’s currently binding legal positions.

In addition, the ruling coalition will also get control over the appointment and dismissal of the attorney general, a departure from the current practice where the cabinet follows the recommendation of an independent public committee headed by a former Supreme Court judge.