Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann on Tuesday recommended reducing the number of judges presiding over regional court hearings from three to two for the first time since Israel gained independence in 1948.

Friedmann submitted a draft bill designed to increase the judicial system's efficiency after examining conclusions reached by a 1997 panel that sought to expedite cases by reducing judges' work loads.

"The proposal is designed to reduce the number of procedures taking place in regional courts presided over by three-judge panels, thereby reducing these courts' heavy work load without losing the advantage of having more than one judge hearing a case," a Justice Ministry statement said.