Israel’s parliament partially floats controversial judicial reform

Israel’s parliament has passed a key piece of controversial judicial reform despite massive opposition. After days of debate on Monday, 64 out of 120 MPs voted in favor of a draft law that would limit the Supreme Court’s scope of action. Opposition parties boycotted the vote. Law is part of a larger package. Critics see it as a threat to Israel’s democracy.

With the new law, the Supreme Court cannot judge the decision of the government or individual ministers as “improper”. Critics fear it will encourage corruption and lead to arbitrary filling of important posts and dismissals. On the other hand, the Netanyahu government accuses the judiciary of too much interference in political decisions.

The State of Israel does not have a written constitution, and is instead based on a set of Basic Laws. Therefore, the Supreme Court is particularly important in upholding the rule of law and human rights.

Judicial reform divides the country

For more than six months, the plan has divided large sections of Israeli society. Thousands of people continue to take to the streets against the weakness of the judiciary. Reconciliation talks failed even at the last minute.

Recently there has been an increase in resistance among the military. More than 10,000 reservationists have announced that they will no longer appear for duty if certain controversial schemes are passed. There were similar threats from business and other parts of society.

Netanyahu’s coalition is the most right-wing the country has ever seen. Changes to the law are being made under pressure from Netanyahu’s hardline religious coalition partners. However, according to experts, they could be playing into the hands of the ongoing corruption scandal against Netanyahu.

(DPA/trx)