A Trumpian clash between the Netanyahu government and Israel's most senior court is rapidly building into a major constitutional crisis.The issue ultimately at stake is control of a television station that is critical of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, and follows other moves designed to clamp down on domestic and international media criticism of the government.Netanyahu's government has also sought to limit the powers of the Supreme Court, a move in 2022 which sparked mass protests in Israel.The government has often cast both the judiciary and critical media as left-wing elitist institutions.Opposition parties argue that, above and beyond the implications for the media, an unprecedented declaration by the government last weekend that it would defy a Supreme Court ruling on media regulation could signal its preparedness to do so on other issues, including the conduct of looming elections later this year."These developments suggest the latest clash is not an isolated legal disagreement, but part of a broader campaign to redefine the balance of power between Israel's democratic institutions," wrote Australian publication the Jewish Independent.In the torrid world of Israeli politics, the current conflict between the government and the court is playing out as a story that reveals the deep ruptures in the halls of power in Jerusalem.A rare government declaration to defy a courtThe current controversy relates to a ruling by Israel's Supreme Court's decision last month that enables the Council of the Second Authority for Television and Radio, the commercial broadcasting regulatory body, to resume operations despite lacking a two-thirds quorum of members.It sounds like a pretty obscure issue to spark a constitutional crisis.It was originally sparked by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi's move to replace the Second Authority's council and director, a move which could have cleared the way for a board stacked with political allies to approve ownership changes at Channel 13, which has been a long-term critic of the government.The government had attempted to impose an alternative board of directors at the regulator. The Supreme Court ruled the alternative board illegal.When outgoing council members departed, the remaining council fell below the quorum required to operate legally.The court ruled last month that the regulatory body must continue its work despite this shortage, preventing the minister from unilaterally replacing the board with political allies.In a statement on Sunday, the government said last month's ruling was a clear case of judicial overreach, and Shlomo and Justice Minister Yariv Levin said the ruling would not be respected, with Levin saying "the court is not above the law and there is no anarchy here".Shlomo Karhi, Yariv Levin and Israel Katz have all criticised media coverage in Israel.