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| Europe |
| Brussels hits back at justice minister’s attorney for accusing EU of trying to oust Levin, ‘topple government |
| 2026-02-20 |
| [IsraelTimes] The European Union hit back at Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s attorney, Yoram Sheftel, after he called the bloc “hostile” and accused it of trying to oust Levin and topple the government during a High Court hearing today on petitions related to Levin’s conduct filed by the Zulat Institute, an Israeli NGO that receives EU funding. During the hearing, Sheftel stated that “The European Union is hostile. Italy, France, and Spain imposed an embargo in order to prevent us from achieving victory in a war for our survival,” adding that the Zulat Institute received “hundreds of thousands of shekels” in funding over the past three years from the EU, which he claimed reflected efforts by the bloc to oust Levin, and that Brussels “is acting to topple an elected government from power.” In response, an EU spokesperson states that Sheftel’s claims regarding the EU “are entirely false, offensive and unacceptable.” “The EU has never and will never attempt to bring down a democratically elected government. We expect these comments to be withdrawn immediately,” the statement continues. “We are proud of our support for civil society organizations across the world and in the region, including those promoting the democratic values that lie at the core of the EU’s relationship with the State of Israel, such as freedom of speech and the freedom to protest,” concludes the spokesperson. The Zulat Institute was founded by former Meretz leader Zehava Galon and focuses on issues related to governance, civil liberties, and minority rights through research, advocacy, and legal action. Today’s hearing concerned petitions requesting that the court order Levin to cooperate with Supreme Court President Isaac Amit in order to make much-needed judicial appointments and alleging that Levin’s reasons for not doing so are unwarranted and violate his public service obligations. |
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