A central demand of Israel's opposition parties, to anchor fundamental civil rights into law, was discussed by negotiation teams of the State of Israel's coalition government and the political opposition on Monday.
A senior government source confirmed to The Times of Israel that the issue of fundamental civil rights was under discussion, but he could not provide further details.
"Rights that are not explicitly detailed in the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty – discussions are being held on this too, discussions. What will be exactly, what will be included, no one knows, these are complicated issues," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement that appeared to confirm that such talks are underway.
"We will anchor in the Basic laws fundamental rights and we will not injure [the rights] of women, LGBT communities or the ultra-Orthodox," he said during a press conference on Monday evening.
Critics of the coalition's planned judicial overhaul fear that it ultimately would give the elected government and the Knesset, Israel's parliament, nearly unrestricted power. They fear that a judicial overhaul would remove rather than improve the government's checks and balances, through giving the legislature control of judicial appointments while removing the ability of the High Court of Justice to strike down what it perceives are "unconstitutional" laws. While Israel does not have a Constitution, its Supreme Court has power to scrap laws it rules "unreasonable."
Anchoring fundamental civil rights into law is a way for the government to ease such fears. The talks toward this end are reportedly just one component of the negotiating parties' efforts to reach a more comprehensive solution to the problems identified in Israel's judicial branch.
The judicial overhaul comprises an all-encompassing reform package relevant to many constitutional and political issues raised by reform proponents within the ruling coalition.
This article originally appeared on All Israel News and is reposted with permission.