The Judicial Reform Law limits some of the Supreme Court’s powers as part of proposed judicial amendments that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed again after it plunged the country into a major political crisis.
A plan to amend the judiciary laws, put forward by Netanyahu’s ruling coalition of national and religious parties, has sparked unprecedented protests in Israel, worried its allies in the West about the integrity of democracy in the country and hurt the economy.
The new bill seeks to limit the powers of the Supreme Court to overturn decisions made by the government, ministers and elected officials.
Critics believe that the draft law calls for corruption and abuse of power, while supporters say that it would facilitate the effective management of government affairs by limiting the court’s interference in decisions.
“It is not the end of democracy, it strengthens democracy,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released as the sun set on Monday as the Knesset began debating the bill.
“Even after the amendments, the independence of the court and civil rights in Israel will not be harmed in any way. The court will continue to supervise the legality of government actions and appointments,” he added.
Netanyahu had suspended the plan to approve the amendments to hold talks with the opposition to agree on them under the auspices of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, but the talks stalled last month and the coalition resumed its efforts to pass the bill.
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