Israeli Judicial Reform Before and After 7th October
75 minutes
Wed 28 February 20247:30pm£10
Before 7th October, the Israeli public was gripped by the government’s proposed wide-ranging changes to the judicial system.
The country saw over 9 months of sustained public protests against them, regularly drawing 60,000 to 150,000 people.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG) is the country’s leading good governance, rule of law and anti-corruption organisation and has been at the forefront of preserving Israel’s democracy for over 30 years. An independent, non-partisan, grassroots movement, MQG is accountable solely to its primary stakeholder – the Israeli public.
We are delighted to present MQG's Founding Chair, Adv. Dr. Eliad Shraga, as well as its President, retired former Supreme Court Justice Dr. Ayala Procaccia, for this exclusive event on their brief visit to the UK.
In a conversation moderated by Gabriel Pogrund of the Sunday Times, will share their unique views of the current situation in Israel, the impact of the war on the public's feelings towards the government, the proposed judicial reforms, and the campaign for a constitution for Israel.
Adv. Dr. Eliad Shraga
Adv. Dr. Eliad Shraga is the founder and chairman of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel. A ninth-generation Jerusalemite, he is leading authority on administrative law. His law firm specializes in civil and administrative commercial law and his writings are used by many jurists who appear in Israeli courts. Since 1990, he has been the founder and volunteer chairman of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG). Eliad is a reserve lieutenant-colonel in the paratroopers, is married to Dalit, and has six children.
Justice (ret.) Dr. Ayala Procaccia
During her years on the bench as a judge and a Supreme Court Justice, Ayala Procaccia shaped Israeli law to support equality for all, regardless of gender or religious practice. She began her legal career as assistant to the attorney general and legal advisor to Israel’s Securities and Exchange Commission before becoming a judge in 1987. She was raised to the supreme court in 2001. Guided by the law, the principle of equality, and constitutional rights, Ayala Procaccia never hesitated to pronounce forthright and decisive rulings on controversial issues such as Sabbath observance, women’s military service, and freedom of speech. After a distinguished career, Procaccia retired in 2011. Justice Procaccia now serves as President of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel.
Gabriel Pogrund
Gabriel Pogrund is Whitehall Editor at The Sunday Times. He was named Journalist of the Year at the 2023 British Journalism Awards for his reporting on the government, the BBC and MI5 and MI6. He won the Anti-Corruption prize at the British Journalism Awards for his reporting on the Greensill scandal in 2021. His book with Patrick Maguire, Left Out, chronicled the Corbyn era and was a Times, Telegraph and Guardian book of the year. He was the Washington Post's 2018 Stern Fellow and won Young Journalist of the Year in 2017.
