IDI’s Forum of Former Ministers: ‘Make Professionalism of High Court Nominees Top Priority’
With the Judicial Selection Committee set to meet Wednesday, the Israel Democracy Institute's Forum of Former Ministers, including two former ministers of justice and 10 other past government ministers, issued the following recommended guidelines:
- The primary consideration for selecting judges must be their professional qualifications.
- While selections should accurately reflect Israeli society, appointments must not come at the expense of choosing nominees with sterling legal backgrounds.
- The Forum calls on the Knesset to continue the long accepted practice, whereby one member of the Judicial Selection Committee is a representative of the loyal opposition.
Signatories to the non-partisan Forum of Former Ministers' statement are:
Yoram Aridor (Likud), Yossi Beilin (Meretz), Ran Cohen (Meretz), Effi Eitam (National Religious Party), Michael Melchior (Labor Party/Gesher), Roni Milo (Likud), Orit Noked (Independence Party and former member of Judicial Selection Committee), Ophir Paz-Pines (Labor), Avraham Poraz (Shinui), Ilan Shalgi (Shinui), Meir Sheetrit (Likud and Kadima), Shaul Yahalom (National Religious Party and former member of Judicial Selection Committee),
About the Forum of Former Ministers
The Forum of Former Ministers meets periodically at IDI to discuss issues on the public agenda. Drawing on the participants’ experiences as former ministerial decision makers, the forum makes practical and implementable recommendations to the government and legislators on matters of special importance in the government and public realm.
The forum turns to IDI as a collaborative partner and as a source of research, which can be presented to members ahead of upcoming discussions. Members propose recommendations, which are then approved by the forum's chairmen: Yoram Aridor, Yossi Beilin and Dan Meridor. Professor Mordechai Kremnitzer, vice president of research at IDI, helps facilitate the forum’s work on behalf of the institute.