Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahudespite the divisive plan to reshape the country’s justice system mass protestI know that they have exposed unprecedented fissures in Israeli society.
The vote came after a stormy session in which opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” and then stormed out of the chamber. After the vote, mass demonstrations broke out in front of the Parliament building in Jerusalem and in central Tel Aviv.
It reflected the determination of Netanyahu and his far-right allies to press ahead with the plan, which has tested the country’s delicate social ties, shaken the cohesion of its powerful military and repeatedly raised concerns among its closest ally, the United States.
The review calls for sweeping changes aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions to changing the way judges are selected. Netanyahu and his allies say the changes are needed to curb the powers of unelected judges.
But protesters see the overall overhaul as a power grab fueled by personal and political grievances by Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his associates. Its allies, which include ultra-nationalist and ultra-religious parties, have promoted goals such as increased settlement building in the West Bank, annexation of occupied territory, and curtailing the rights of LGBTQ+ people and Palestinians.
In Israel, which does not have a formal constitution, the judiciary plays a critical oversight role in the country’s system of checks and balances.
MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP via Getty Images
Under the Israeli system, the prime minister rules through a majority coalition in parliament, effectively giving him control of two branches of government. By moving to weaken the judiciary, critics say, Netanyahu’s allies will consolidate power by weakening the independence and oversight of judges. The process appears with “illiberal” democracies such as Poland and Hungary.
“It’s a sad day,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said after the vote. “This is not a victory for the coalition. This is the destruction of Israeli democracy.”
In Monday’s vote, lawmakers approved a measure that prevents judges from overturning government decisions on the grounds that they are “unreasonable.” With the opposition out of the room, the measure passed 64-0.
After the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the plan’s architect, said parliament had taken the “first step in an important historic process” of overhauling the judiciary.
The vote came just hours after Netanyahu was released from the hospital, where he had a pacemaker implanted. Seve sudden hospitalization added another dizzying twist to an already dramatic series of events.
More mass protests are now expected and the Movement for Quality Government, a civil society group, immediately announced it would challenge the new law in the Supreme Court.
The grassroots protest movement condemned the vote, saying Netanyahu’s “extremist government is showing its determination to ram its fringe ideology down the throats of millions of citizens.”
“No one can predict the extent of the damage and social upheaval that will follow the passage of the legislation,” he said.
Thousands of people blocked Jerusalem’s main road and gathered in front of the Parliament building after the vote. The walls and fences that line the street outside the Supreme Court, the prime minister’s office and parliament were plastered with hundreds of stickers saying “we will not serve a dictator,” “democracy or rebellion” and “save Israel from Netanyahu.” Police tried to disperse the crowd with water cannons spraying skunk-scented water.
Mass demonstrations also broke out in central Tel Aviv, the epicenter of months of anti-government protests.
Earlier, protesters blocked a road in Jerusalem leading to the parliament, and large shopping mall chains and some gas stations closed their doors in protest.
Protesters beat drums and blew horns, and police used water cannons to push them back. At least six protesters were arrested, Reuters news agency reported.
A protester who was lying in the street he told the BBC he was challenging the “dictatorship” and said, “we will never surrender.”
The White House said in a statement that it is “regrettable that today’s vote was taken with the smallest possible majority.”
“As a lifelong friend of Israel, President Biden has publicly and privately expressed his view that major changes in a democracy to last must have the broadest possible consensus,” the White House said.
The Biden administration has often spoken out against the actions of the Netanyahu government and its overhaul plan. Biden has also criticized the administration’s steps to deepen Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
