Controversial Bill Altering Judicial Review Passes in Knesset; High Court Challenge Looms

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, approved the controversial bill, an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary, eliminating the reasonableness standard in judicial reviews of government decisions, with a vote of 64 in favor and none against. The opposition boycotted the final vote that turned the bill into law.

Following the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin hailed the decision as a historic first step toward amending the judicial system. Meanwhile, opposition leaders, such as Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, voiced strong criticisms, arguing that passing the bill weakened the State of Israel and the Israeli military.

Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, rejected the claims, stating that the removal of the reasonableness standard did not harm minorities or impede the court’s ability to criticize government decisions.

On the other hand, Avigdor Liberman, chairperson of the Yisrael Beitenu party, accused the prime minister of prioritizing his coalition with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties over the nation. Protests outside the Knesset resulted in 12 arrests.

Immediately after the bill passed its third reading and became law, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitioned the High Court to void the amendment by declaring it unconstitutional.

According to the movement, the amendment fundamentally changes the basic structure of Israeli parliamentary democracy and the nature of the regime, while damaging the delicate fabric of the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances in Israel. The amendment, it says, gives unlimited power to the executive, and is an abuse of the government’s authority. The movement also claims there were fundamental flaws in the legislative process, necessitating the amendment’s cancellation.

Meanwhile, the Histadrut Labor Federation and members of the Israel Business Forum have criticized the Knesset’s move, threatening potential strikes in protest of the judicial overhaul.