Israeli law limiting court’s power struck down

Jerusalem, January 1

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Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday struck down a highly disputed law passed by PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government that rolled back some of the high court’s power and sparked nationwide protests.

Concern over landmark decision

• The landmark decision threatens to reopen the fissures in Israeli society that preceded the ongoing war against Hamas.
• PM’s judicial overhaul had sparked protests and threatened to trigger a constitutional crisis between judiciary and executive.

The law was part of a broader judicial overhaul proposed by Netanyahu and his coalition of religious and nationalist partners which caused a deep rift in Israel and concern over the country’s democratic principles among Western allies.

The court decision again captured headlines in Israel, where news coverage has been dominated by war since Hamas carried out a deadly rampage in southern Israel on October 7.

The new legislation brought before the court had removed one, but not all, of the tools the Supreme Court has for quashing government and ministers’ decisions. It took away the court’s ability to void such decisions that it deemed “unreasonable”. Eight of 15 justices ruled in favour of nullifying the law, the court said.

Netanyahu’s Likud party said the decision was unfortunate and that it opposed “the will of the people for unity, especially during wartime”. Opposition lawmakers praised the ruling. The Supreme Court, in a summary of its decision, said the majority of judges ruled to strike down the law because it would severely damage Israel’s democracy. — Agencies