Israeli Parliament Advances Bill Limiting Supreme Court’s Power
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Tuesday advanced a bill that would enable lawmakers to pass legislation that the Supreme Court cannot overturn. The proposed legislation is a significant part of the judicial overhaul proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, which has sharply divided the country.
Despite calls for compromise and protests that have seen hundreds of thousands of Israelis take to the streets over the past two months, Netanyahu’s coalition of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties has pushed ahead with its legislative agenda. In an overnight session, the Knesset gave initial approval to several bills, including a law that would protect the prime minister from being declared unfit for office or incapacitated, and another that would reverse parts of the 2005 disengagement law, enabling the government to legalize currently illegal settlement outposts in the northern West Bank.
The third bill would permit parliament to pass laws that are immune from judicial review with a simple majority of 61 members in the Knesset.
Each of the bills requires additional votes before becoming law.
The proposed changes to the legal system are the latest in a series of moves by Netanyahu’s coalition, aimed at reining in what they see as an overly activist court. Critics have warned that the measures would undermine the country’s democratic checks and balances, defang the Supreme Court, and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his allies.
The proposed changes have prompted protests by business leaders, legal experts, retired military leaders, and reservists who have threatened to stop reporting for duty if the overhaul passes. Netanyahu, who returned to power in December as the head of Israel’s most ultranationalist and religious government to date, is currently on trial for fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes.
