Israeli government goes ahead with judicial reforms, ignores protests
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Tel Aviv: Amid tens of thousands of Israelis protesting against the newly tabled judicial reforms, Israel's parliament on Tuesday advanced the bill that will allow lawmakers to pass laws that the Supreme Court cannot overturn.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties moved ahead with the legislation despite the people and the President calling for compromise. The demonstrations against the new laws have been going on for the past two months. It is the largest protest in Israel's history.
Many have been criticising the laws as a step toward destroying democracy. Each bill requires additional votes before becoming law.
The parliament held an overnight session that went on till early morning and gave initial approval to several pieces of legislation, reported AP. These include a bill protecting the PM from being incapacitated or declared unfit for office. Another piece of legislation will enable the parliament to pass laws without the Supreme Court's agreement with a simple majority of 61 out of 120 seats. Another bill is to allow settlements in the northern West Bank
Business leaders, legal experts, and retired military leaders are protesting against the reforms. Reservists have threatened to stop reporting for duty. Netanyahu returned to power in December but is still on trial for fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes.