Tel Aviv, Israel – Israel’s economics minister on Wednesday downplayed concerns that the new right-wing coalition’s judicial reform proposals would hurt the economy and cause brain, Reuters reported.
High-tech workers organised their second protest against the measures on Tuesday in central Tel Aviv.
The reforms would tighten political control over judicial appointments and limit the Supreme Court’s ability to overrule government rulings or Knesset-approved laws.
In separate comments later to Reuters, Barkat rejected concerns that high-tech workers might leave Israel, saying the country would remain a beacon for talent and innovation.
“Look at the missions that come here from all over the world. They’re here because they understand that the talent is here. It’s created in the army, it’s created in our DNA. And there’s no doubt in my mind that it will continue scaling and growing,” Barkat said.
“The majority (of people who come to do business here) don’t care or don’t look into other issues that we have – we’re a democracy, we’re a very strong democracy,” he added.
Barkat was speaking at the Cybertech Global 2023 conference in Tel Aviv, an annual event that, according to organisers, drew about 20,000 individuals and 100 firms from 86 countries this year.
Leading Israeli economists have warned that the proposed reforms will do “long-term harm” to the Israeli economy.