Tel Aviv: Moving against the years-long protest by Israelis, the Benjamin Netanyahu administration passed a law on Thursday, expanding the power of politicians inappointing judges, Agence France-Presse reported.
This happened after the Netanyahu administration and the Supreme Court locked in a standoff following the Prime Minister's proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and announce that the head of internal security, Ronen Bar, was sacked.
On Thursday evening, thousands of protesters rallied against the law, calling it a “catastrophe” and “ nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy. The opposition in Israel also made its move, filing a petition with the Supreme Court and challenging the legislation.
In Israel's parliament, the legislation was approved by a vote of 67 in favour against one. This happened after the opposition boycotted the early-morning vote at the parliament, which has 120 members.
In 2023, the Israel administration’s judicial overhaul package incited the largest protests in Israel's history, though it was overtaken by the war in Gaza. Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin claimed that the legislation was intended to “restore balance” between the legislative and judicial branches.
Levin claimed that the Supreme Court had effectively nullified the Knesset (Israel parliament).
"It has taken for itself the authority to cancel laws and even Basic Laws. This is something unheard of in any democracy in the world," Levin, who is the main architect behind judicial reforms, was quoted by AFP.
AFP reports that when Israel lacks a written constitution, it has a number of Basic Laws which govern things such as human rights and the powers of the parliament.