This is CBS, I Am The World, I'm John Bachelor.

Israel, the 1992 Basic Laws, much in the news, it is complicated and I welcome Conrad Black,

the distinguished biographer who writes in the National Post about this controversy.

My understanding is that right now the debate is over changing some of the guidelines for

the Supreme Court.

Because of decisions made over the years that seem excessive in the hands of the Supreme

Court without what we call in the U.S. checks and balances, the chief one that I've always

thought was so puzzling was the Prime Minister, Mr. Who was Mr. Netanyahu and is again Mr.

Netanyahu, being accused of taking a bribe from a newspaper that ran a positive story

about the Prime Minister.

He always puzzled me, was that all there was to it?

Conrad tells that same version.

Conrad helped me understand how that is a bribe or how this connects to the Supreme Court's

power in Israel following the Basic Laws.

Good evening to you.

Good evening, Hugh John.

It is an astonishing turn of events to any of us in a country where there is a reasonable

separation between the judicial and legislative and executive functions and where the judicial

function confines itself to judicial matters.

But in Israel, because of the success in adopting what are called the Basic Laws in 1992,

the ancient Jewish tradition of elevating judgments and the judges took an unusual form

in the evolution of the Israeli system of government.

...