Israeli PM Takes U-turn on Legislative Override of Supreme Court

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to abandon the most contentious aspect of his proposed court system reform, which would have enabled the national legislature to overrule Supreme Court decisions, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday. In the interview, Netanyahu confirmed he would also modify another disputed component of the plan, granting the ruling coalition greater control over judicial appointments, although he remains uncertain about the details of the new version. “I’m attentive to the public pulse, and to what I think will pass muster,” he stated. Last week, Israeli lawmakers initiated debates on the bill that would curtail the Supreme Court’s powers, reigniting a hotly contested judicial reform instigated by Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition, which led to widespread protests. These proposed changes also provoked concerns in the West about Israel’s democratic integrity and alarmed investors. Netanyahu rejected allegations that the proposed changes were an attempt to weaken the court’s independence. Additionally, the prime minister dismissed proposals that Israel join Western efforts to arm Ukraine and said he had expressed to Russia his concerns about Moscow’s growing support military cooperation with Tehran. Regarding questions about his upcoming trip to China, Netanyahu emphasized that the US remains Israel’s chief ally.