Israeli lawmakers on Tuesday gave initial go-ahead to a new bill that limits part of the Supreme Court’s power to rule against the government, the Knesset said, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would proceed with the judicial process.
Parliament’s Constitutional Law and Justice committee, dominated by Netanyahu’s ruling nationalist-religious coalition, voted in favor of the bill limiting “reasonableness” as the standard of judicial review in Israel. It still has to pass three readings to be signed into law.
Project changes
Netanyahu said he had abandoned a core element of the plan, although he was still seeking changes to how judges are selected. In a filmed interview published on the Wall Street Journal website, he said he is no longer trying to give Parliament the authority to overrule Supreme Court decisions.
“I threw that away,” Netanyahu said of the controversial “override clause”.
Netanyahu’s government unveiled its plan to overhaul Israel’s justice system in January, shortly after coming to power, saying the Supreme Court was increasingly encroaching on political areas where it had no authority.
The plan triggered mass protests, with critics saying it was a threat to democracy. The United States has urged Netanyahu to seek broad agreements on reforms rather than swiftly usher in unilateral changes that the ally says would jeopardize Israel’s democratic health.
After weeks of demonstrations and with financial markets growing nervous over the proposed changes and the ensuing political unrest, Netanyahu delayed approving the plan in late March to hold talks with the opposition.
On Monday (3), hundreds of protesters converged on Ben Gurion Airport and some in the crowd fought with the police, who tried to stop them from blocking access to the terminal. The sidewalk outside the arrivals hall was filled with demonstrators carrying flags, horns and drums. A cordon of police lined the road as passenger cars and buses slowly passed by.
Hours before, they had already temporarily closed access to an important port.
(Posted by Fábio Mendes, with information from Reuters)
Source: CNN Brasil
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