Jerusalem. Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to overhaul the country’s justice system despite mass protests that have exposed unprecedented fissures in Israeli society.
The vote followed a stormy session in which opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” before storming out of the chamber.
The vote reflected the determination of Netanyahu and his far-right allies to go ahead with the plan, which has strained the country’s delicate social ties, shaken the cohesion of its powerful military and repeatedly caused concern for its closest ally, the United States.
In Monday’s vote, lawmakers approved a measure that prevents judges from overturning government decisions on the grounds that they are “unreasonable.”
Supporters of the measure claim that the current “reasonableness” standard gives unelected judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials. But government critics warn that this removes a key element of the court’s oversight powers and opens the way to corruption and improper appointments.
With the opposition out of the room, the measure passed by a 64-0 margin.
After the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the plan, said Parliament had taken “the first step in an important historic process” to reform the judiciary.
More mass protests are expected after the vote.
Shortly before, protesters, many of whom believe that the very foundations of their country are being eroded by the government’s plan, blocked a street leading to Parliament, and large chain shopping centers and some gas stations closed their doors in protest.
Further increasing the pressure on Netanyahu, thousands of military reservists have declared their refusal to serve a government that is taking steps that they believe are leading the country towards a dictatorship. That has raised fears that the readiness of the military could be compromised.
“These are dangerous cracks,” the military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, wrote on Sunday in a letter to soldiers addressing the tensions. “If we will not be a strong and cohesive army, if the best of us do not serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we will no longer be able to exist as a country in the region.”
Before Monday’s vote, opposition leader Yair Lapid had declared: “We are headed for disaster.”
The vote came just hours after Netanyahu was released from the hospital, where he received a pacemaker. His sudden hospitalization added another unexpected twist to a series of previously dramatic events that were closely watched in Washington. The Joe Biden administration has frequently spoken out against the Netanyahu government and his judicial reform plan. In a statement to the Axios news site on Sunday night, Biden warned against going ahead with the plan.
