Justice Minister Shmuel Tamir said he intends to introduce a series of reforms in Israel’s legal system aimed at a more equitable administration of justice and protective of civil rights. He said that a new basic low will be submitted to the Knesset, possibly when it returns from its summer recess, that will expand the powers of the nine-member Supreme Court.
He said the court would be empowered to nullify laws approved by the Knesset which conflict with basic laws. Israel has no written constitution but a number of basic laws have been adopted over the years that can be changed only by a two-thirds majority of the Knesset. Tamir said he also intends to propose a bill to limit wire-tapping by government agencies.
The bill would make wire-tapping legal only if approved by the Premier, the Defense Minister or the President of a district court at the request of a senior police official. Illegal wire-tapping would carry penalties of up to three years in jail.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
