After day of fiery protests and warring speeches, vote marks major step en route to gov’t authority over judicial selection; also limits the High Court’s capacity to review laws
By CARRIE KELLER-LYNN and TOI STAFF 21.2.23
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, right, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 20, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The Knesset early Tuesday passed, in the first of three readings, a first and significant bill in the divisive effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition to overhaul Israel’s judiciary. It did so in the face of bitter opposition criticism and after tens of thousands of anti-reform protesters gathered outside the parliament’s Jerusalem gates.
The vote was 63 in favor and 47 against, with no abstentions, although some lawmakers boycotted the vote. The legislation now returns to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for preparation for its second and third readings, which are expected by the end of March.
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