10 | FEBRUARY 16 • 2023 

PURELY COMMENTARY

continued from page 9

of law; and an independent 
judiciary.” The proposed 
legal “reform” would deal a 
lethal blow to four of these 
five principles. Should it pass 
in its current format, the 
Supreme Court has strong 
grounds for declaring it null 
and void.
The message is clear: 
Changes are possible, and 
there are certainly improve-
ments to be made. There is 
a need for a Basic Law on 
legislation that defines the 
relations among the branch-
es of government. But, as 
the attorney general writes, 
changes in the structure of 
the regime must be intro-
duced in a deliberate and 
orderly fashion, founded in 

fact, and based on a broad 
consensus.
“In order to resolve the 
relations and balance among 
the branches of government 
in a serious way, one cannot 
focus exclusively on one nar-
row aspect and relate to the 
judicial branch only, without 
at the same time setting 
boundaries for the executive 
and legislative branches.”
Defining the relations 
among the branches of gov-
ernment: Yes. Unlimited 
power to the government: 
No. 

Suzie Navot is a professor of 

constitutional law and the vice 

president of the Israel Democracy 

Institute.

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My Friend, 
Bassam Eid
I was happy to read 
“Palestinians Must Confront 
the Violence in our Culture,
” by 
Bassam Eid (Feb. 9, page 12).
Our relationship with this 
courageous person began 
in the early 1980s when my 
son Gilead, was an aide in 
Congress, including staff 
director of the Africa House 
Subcommittee and then 
staff director of the Western 
Hemisphere. 
Yassir Arafat put Bassem 
Eid on house arrest and 
then-Secretary of State Warren 
Christopher asked Gilead, who 
is naturally fluent in Hebrew, 
growing up in a Hebrew-
speaking household, as well as 
having knowledge of Arabic 
from his graduate degree in 
Mideastern studies, to speak to 
Bassem and find out the details 
of his house arrest. Gilead 

did as asked, and shortly after 
Bassem was free.
In 2015 we came to Israel 
to celebrate the bar mitzvah of 
Gilead’s oldest child, Rome. We 
were scheduled to see a beauti-
ful light and sound show about 
the history of Jerusalem, but we 
were late and had to wait for 
the next one. In the meantime, 
Gilead noticed that in the same 
building there was an office 
of a person whom he knew in 
the states. His American friend 
was not there, but the secretary 
introduced him to Bassem. 
Imagine Gilead’s delight and 
surprise! 
The following Shabbat he 
was a guest in our Shabbat 
table. The rest is history. I saw 
him again when he spoke in 
Hadassah House some years 
ago but heard from him two 
days ago after wishing him a 
happy birthday.

— Rachel Kapen

West Bloomfield

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