Israel Passes Judicial Reform Law Curbing Powers Of Supreme Court, US Expresses Concerns Over Vote
Israeli lawmakers have approved a key clause in the Netanyahu government's controversial judicial reform plan that aims to curb the powers of the Supreme Court in striking down government decisions.
Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key clause of a controversial judicial reform plan that aims to curb the powers of the country's Supreme Court in striking down government decisions. This comes as the country has been rocked by massive protests against contentious judicial overhaul bills pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government. The bills triggered months of demonstrations and have been questioned by Israel's top allies, including the United States.
The amendment limiting the Supreme Court's powers was passed by a 64-to-0 vote with opposition lawmakers abandoning the session in protest, news agency Reuters reported. Some of them shouted, "For shame!"
The US expressed concerns saying that the vote took place with "the slimmest possible majority".
"As a lifelong friend of Israel, President Biden has publicly and privately expressed his views that major changes in a democracy to be enduring must have as broad a consensus as possible. It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority. We understand talks are ongoing and likely to continue over the coming weeks and months to forge a broader compromise even with the Knesset in recess, the White House statement read.
"The United States will continue to support the efforts of President Herzog and other Israeli leaders as they seek to build a broader consensus through political dialogue," it added.
There are two bills in question that are aimed at limiting Supreme Court rulings and allowing politicians to appoint most of the justices to the bench. Thus, the power of the Supreme Court to review or scrap legislation will be considerably weakened.
The first bill proposes a simple majority in the Israeli Parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions. However, last month, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Netanyahu said he was no longer seeking to grant Parliament the authority to overturn Supreme Court rulings.
"The idea of an override clause, where the parliament, the Knesset, can override the decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority... I threw that out," Netanyahu said in the interview.
The second bill proposes letting the government have a decisive say on who becomes a judge, including in the Supreme Court, by increasing its representation on the panel that appoints them.
The bills assume great significance for Israel as its Supreme Court keeps checks and balances on the executive's power as there is no formal constitution in the country and there is no second legislative chamber, like Rajya Sabha in India.
Netanyahu's opponents have termed the proposed judicial overhaul to be a move towards dictatorship by removing the most significant check on the government's actions.
Critics have also stressed that the reforms were meant to shield Netanyahu, who faces criminal trial over corruption charges in three separate cases, BBC reported. Netanyahu has rejected the accusation.
MORE ON IT: Explained: What Is Netanyahu's Judicial Reform Bill That Has Sparked Massive Protests In Israel
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