Israeli Supreme Court revokes key element of judicial reform
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel (Photo: Getty Images)
On Monday, January 1st, the Supreme Court of Israel declared a July-passed amendment to the law invalid, with a meager majority vote of eight out of fifteen judges, reports Tages Anzeiger.
The amendment to the constitution stripped the court of the power to take action against unlawful decisions of the government, prime minister, or individual ministers. Critics warned that this could lead to corruption and arbitrary appointments to important positions.
The reason cited in the decision was that the amendment to the law "would cause serious and unprecedented harm to the fundamental characteristics of Israel as a democratic state."
Never before in Israel's history has the Supreme Court annulled a similar law.
Protests in Israel over judicial reform
In April 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans for a judicial reform aimed at reducing the Supreme Court's influence, but this proposal faced a barrage of criticism. Opponents of the reform argued that such changes would lead to the establishment of a dictatorship in Israel.
As a result, the country witnessed a wave of protests - millions of citizens took to the streets to prevent the adoption of such a bill. Afterward, Netanyahu announced a pause in the reform, but on July 24, the Knesset passed the law as part of the judicial reform.
