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Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key clause of a controversial judicial reform plan that aims to curb the powers of the country’s Supreme Court in striking down government decisions, news agency AFP reported. This comes as the country has been rocked by massive protests against contentious judicial overhaul bills pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government. The bills triggered months of demonstrations and have been questioned by Israel’s top allies, including the United States.
There are two bills in question that are aimed at limiting Supreme Court rulings and allowing politicians to appoint most of the justices to the bench. Thus, the power of the Supreme Court to review or scrap legislation will be significantly weakened.
The first bill proposes a simple majority in the Israeli Parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions. However, last month, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Netanyahu said he was no longer seeking to grant Parliament the authority to overturn Supreme Court rulings.
“The idea of an override clause, where the parliament, the Knesset, can override the decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority… I threw that out,” Netanyahu said in the interview.
The second bill proposes letting the government have a decisive say on who becomes a judge, including in the Supreme Court, by increasing its representation on the panel that appoints them.
The bills assume great significance for Israel as its Supreme Court keeps checks and balances on the executive’s power as there is no formal constitution in the country and there is no second legislative chamber, like Rajya Sabha in India.
Netanyahu’s opponents have termed the proposed judicial overhaul to be a move toward dictatorship by removing the most significant check on the government’s actions.
Critics have also stressed that the reforms were meant to shield Netanyahu, who faces criminal trial over corruption charges in three separate cases, the BBC reported. Netanyahu has rejected the allegation.
MORE ON IT: Explained: What Is Netanyahu’s Judicial Reform Bill That Has Sparked Massive Protests In Israel
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