Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition enacted legislation on Thursday that handed politicians more control over picking judges, part of a contentious effort to overhaul the Israeli judiciary that roiled the country before the war with Hamas.
Israel’s 120-seat parliament passed two laws after an hours-long overnight debate, in a vote mostly boycotted by the Opposition. The legislation revamps the committee that picks judges, including Supreme Court justices, in a way that critics say will politicise the bench.
The law marked the resumption of a two-year effort by Netanyahu’s coalition to expand its control over other branches of government. Before the Hamas-led attack in October 2023 started the war in Gaza, Netanyahu had attempted similar legislation in the face of mass protests. He suspended the push to preserve wartime unity.
Now, Netanyahu has returned to the judicial overhaul, along with simultaneous efforts to weaken other state watchdogs. He is trying to fire both the attorney general and the head of the domestic intelligence service.
The laws that passed on Thursday were less far-reaching than the coalition’s initial proposals. But they nonetheless threatened to reignite the uproar that swept the country before the war, even as Israel and Hamas are engaging in new fighting in Gaza.
Crowds of protesters rallied outside the parliament in Jerusalem on Wednesday to demonstrate against the legislation, waving Israeli flags. But in a sign of how the war has split the priorities of Netanyahu’s opponents, many also showed up carrying signs calling for an immediate deal with Hamas to free the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Inside the parliament building, Netanyahu gave a fiery address in which he contended that his government’s policies would serve as a long-needed corrective to an unelected “deep state”, echoing rhetoric used by President Trump.
“Democracy is not in danger. The rule of bureaucrats is in danger,” Netanyahu told lawmakers. “The deep state is in danger.”
Unlike in the US, in Israel a single nine-member committee is empowered by law to appoint judges, including Supreme Court justices. In a policy designed to ensure judicial independence, five of them were either current Supreme Court justices or expert lawyers from the Israeli bar association. The remaining four were politicians.
But Netanyahu’s coalition has long wanted to give itself more power on the committee, which would allow it to shape the next generation of judges. Yariv Levin, the justice minister who planned the overhaul, originally proposed a law that would effectively allow the coalition to dominate the committee.
Opponents said that granting the ruling coalition greater influence in picking judges who review its legislation would remove one of Israel’s few checks on executive power.