Israel's Tech Investors Take a Stand

Executives at startups and VCs are speaking out against a plan to weaken the judiciary

- Marissa Newman

Investors and leaders of Israel's powerful technology sector are expressing concern that plans by the new government to weaken the judiciary will threaten the country's liberal democracy and business-friendly environment.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, sworn in last month, has pledged to give politicians greater influence over the appointment of Supreme Court justices and to limit the court's oversight of the legislature. "Investors are certainly contacting us, worried," says Assaf Rappaport, chief executive officer of Wiz, a cloud cybersecurity startup that has offices in Tel Aviv. "We all understand-the entrepreneurs in Israel and the industry leaders, but also around the world-that without a strong legal system, you can't do real business, and the risks to business grow." Justice Minister Yariv Levin says his bill will allow the Knesset, or parliament, to override the high court with a simple majority and re-legislate laws the court struck down as unconstitutional. The proposal has yet to be submitted and would require three separate votes to pass.