Israeli police use water cannon to disperse demonstrators blocking the road leading to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, during a protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system, in Jerusalem, Monday, July 24, 2023.
Mahmoud Illean / AP
Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved controversial changes to the judiciary, part of a package of proposed actions that’s roiled the country in protests in recent months and sparked opposition from broad swaths of Israeli society.
The vote in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, capped a monthslong campaign by Israel's far-right government to weaken the judiciary, a move critics say pushes the country toward authoritarianism.
The measure prevents judges from striking down any government decisions on the basis that they are "unreasonable." That means courts could be blocked from intervening in some appointments and other decisions made by elected officials, something legal experts say is currently a crucial check on political power in Israel.
The measure passed uncontested after opposition lawmakers walked out in protest. Ahead of the vote, lawmakers were unable to reach a compromise with the political opposition.
Among the skeptics of the plan was President Biden, who told Israeli media on Sunday that he had urged the country's political leaders not to rush through the law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption, proposed changes to the judiciary months ago.
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