In the 8-7 decision, the court narrowly voted to overturn a law passed in July that prevents judges from overturning government decisions they consider “unreasonable.”
The government says reform is necessary to restore the balance of power between the people's representatives and the Supreme Court, which Netanyahu accuses of being politicized. According to its critics, the project, on the contrary, carries with it the risk of deviating towards a Hungarian-style model of democracy.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog had called for a halt to this legislative process, describing the project as a “threat to the foundations of democracy.”
Opponents say Netanyahu's efforts to remove the reasonableness standard open the door to corruption and unacceptable appointments of his unqualified friends to important positions.
This law was the first of its kind in a comprehensive reform plan for the justice system.
The reform process was postponed after Hamas militants carried out their attack on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 others.
The response of the Likud Party, led by Netanyahu, was not long in coming, considering that “the Supreme Court’s decision contradicts the people’s will for unity, especially in times of war.”
For his part, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Lavin accused the Supreme Court of “seizing all powers” after it invalidated a key clause in Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial judicial reform law.
Levin, who is behind the legal reform, said on his account on the Telegram application that by issuing the ruling, “the judges are seizing all the powers that are divided in the democratic system in a balanced way between the three branches.” He continued, “It deprives millions of citizens of their voices and their basic right to be equal partners in decision-making.”
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