Amid protests: Israel adopts scandalous law as part of judicial reform
Israel passes controversial law as part of judicial reform amid protests (Photo: Getty Images)
The Knesset (Israeli parliament) today, on July 24th, adopted a law as part of judicial reform. The initiative sparked massive protests throughout the country, according to The Times of Israel.
The bill, which prohibits courts from reviewing the validity of government and ministry decisions, was adopted with 64 votes in favor and 0 against (out of 120 deputies). Opposition deputies boycotted the final vote on the bill as a protest.
In the Knesset, numerous attempts were made to amend the bill or reach a broader procedural compromise with the opposition before the vote. Two "softer" versions of the bill were rejected.
Protests in Israel
Such an initiative by the Israeli authorities has sparked massive protests across the country, with millions of citizens taking to the streets to prevent the adoption of such a bill.
People who opposed the initiative believe that this move by the government aims to disrupt the system of checks and balances. This could lead to a dictatorship in Israel.
At the same time, supporters of the reform believe that the Israeli Supreme Court has concentrated absolute power in its hands, and allegedly, the government cannot work effectively because any decision requires overcoming resistance from the judiciary.
