Israel imposes curbs on Supreme Court powers amid widespread protests

Following the failure of last-ditch compromise attempts to resolve the country’s ongoing constitutional crisis, Israel’s parliament approved the first measure of the judicial reform requested by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

The opposition members left the session in protest, some of them yelling, “For shame!” The amendment restricting the Supreme Court’s ability to overturn some government decisions if it found them to be “unreasonable” passed by a vote of 64 to 0 after they did.

Police dragged away anti-amendment demonstrators who had shackled themselves to posts and blocked the road outside parliament at the start of the day’s demonstrations.

By evening, protesters had taken to the streets of cities across the country.

The amendment is part of broader judicial changes the government announced in January, soon after it was sworn in, setting off months of unprecedented nationwide protests and stirring concern among allies abroad for Israel’s democratic health.

More deadlock loomed, however.

Within minutes of the vote, a political watchdog group and the centrist opposition leader said they would appeal against the law at the Supreme Court.

Thousands of protesters who had converged on Jerusalem flooded a highway near parliament, scuffling with police who cleared the road by dragging them across the asphalt and using water cannons, including one that sprayed a foul-smelling substance.

The crisis has caused a deep divide in Israeli society and has seeped into the military, with protest leaders saying thousands of volunteer reservists would not report for duty if the government continues with the plans and former top brass warning that Israel’s war-readiness could be at risk.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, an architect of the reforms package cast by Netanyahu as needed to create more balance among branches of government, sounded undeterred.

“We took the first step in the historic, important process of fixing the justice system and restoring powers that were taken from the government and the Knesset (parliament),” he said in a speech, seemingly ignoring repeated calls from Washington for a compromise.

After the law passed, the White House urged Israel’s leaders to work toward a consensus through political dialogue.

“It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority,” said spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

The economy was also affected by the unrest. Following the Knesset decision, Tel Aviv’s major stock indices dropped as much as 2.5%, while the shekel’s losses against the dollar reached about 1%. After failing to broker a deal between the religious-nationalist alliance and opposition parties, the leader of the Histadrut labour organisation vowed to call a mass strike if the government took “unilateral” action.

The coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu is adamant about fighting back against what it sees as excessive political involvement by the Supreme Court.

Critics say Monday’s amendment has been rushed through parliament and will open the door to abuses of power by removing one of the few effective checks on the executive’s authority in a country without a formal written constitution.

“This government can win the battle, but not the war,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

A forum of over 150 of Israel’s biggest businesses declared a strike, and two of the country’s biggest malls, Azrieli (AZRG.TA) and Big (BIG.TA), said that all of their shops will remain closed.

(With agency inputs)