Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a controversial bill to overhaul the justice system in its first reading tonight. The bill limits the powers of the Supreme Court in Israel and gives parliament greater influence.
The vote specifically concerned the court’s power to overrule decisions made by the government, ministers and elected officials, declaring them “unreasonable”. The bill is part of a larger package of legal reforms. Critics fear that the overhaul of the legal system could lead to corruption and the arbitrary filling of management positions. For example, from now on the government could appoint judges. Now an independent committee still does it.
64 of 120 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill after hours of debate. 56 members voted against. There will be two more votes before the change actually takes effect. Which should be later this month.
The changes were proposed in January by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The proposal sparked one of the largest protest movements ever in the country. Ahead of Monday night’s debate, several protesters who had forcibly entered the parliament building were removed. Large protests were also announced for Tuesday in several Israeli cities. Protest organizers are speaking of a ‘day of disorder’.
Source: BNR
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