Israel passes controversial judicial reform law, protesters call for mass rallies

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday (July 24) passed a key clause of an overarching judicial reform bill that seeks to curtail the powers of the Supreme Court.

Called the “reasonableness bill”, it seeks to strip the top court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable.

The reasonableness bill is just one part of a broader package of reforms to Israel's judicial system by the right-wing coalition.

Other parts are aiming to give the ruling coalition government more control over the appointment of judges and would remove independent legal advisers from government ministries.

The key clause was passed with 64 votes in favour —mainly the lawmakers from the ruling coalition—and 0 against it, with the MPs from the opposition National Unity MK boycotting the final vote on the bill in protest.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was earlier admitted to a hospital for an emergency pacemaker implantation, also participated in the voting.

The surgery went smoothly and he said he planned to be out in time to vote for the first major piece of his government's legal overhaul.

Hours before the parliament session began, scores of protesters sat outside the Knesset in Jerusalem in protest against the bill. The police had to use water cannons to disperse the demonstrators as they were blocking a boulevard outside the parliament.

Some protesters dressed as judges, handcuffed to a rope, to show that: "Bibi (Netanyahu) wants to take all the judges under his authority to get free of charge," reports the Times of Israel newspaper.

According to local media, 19 protesters were arrested and one got injured. Other protesters surrounded a police van shouting "shame" at officers.

The bill was passed amidst massive protests that began seven months ago. Reservists of the Israeli Defence Forces had threatened to discontinue their voluntary service if the government went ahead with the controversial bill.

Israel: Thousands march to parliament against Judicial Reform Bill

Opposition attacks Netanyahu

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slammed the hard-right Netanyahu government for abusing its power.

He promised to petition the High Court of Justice on Tuesday (July 25) against the freshly passed law.

“This is a complete breaking of the rules of the game,” Lapid was quoted by the Times of Israel newspaper as saying from his Yesh Atid party’s Knesset conference room.

“The government and coalition can choose what direction the state goes in, but it can’t decide the character of the state.”

The opposition leader encouraged military reservists to wait before pulling out of military service. “Don’t stop serving. While we still don’t know the High Court of Justice’s ruling,” he added.

Also read | From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: Thousands of Israelis march against judicial overhaul ahead of vote

But Movement for Quality Government—an Israel-based NGO—beat Lapid by filing a petition in the High Court of Justice first, urging it to annul the law.

“The government of destruction has raised its malicious hand against the State of Israel; now it’s the Supreme Court’s turn to step up and prevent this legislation,” organisation head Eliad Shraga said.

Protesters call for mass rallies

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters outside the Supreme Court condemned the approval of the law with chants of “shame” and “democracy or rebellion".

Meanwhile, some protesters have blocked the major Begin highway that cuts through the city.

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