A blow against Israel’s Supreme Court plunges the country into crisis
A tempestuous period of protest is in prospect
On July 24th Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed the first in a series of laws aimed at drastically limiting the powers of the country’s Supreme Court. Members of the opposition walked out in protest at the final reading of the law, which passed 64-0 in the 120-strong chamber, with the votes of all the members of the far-right coalition led by the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. The law all but eliminates the court’s ability to overturn government decisions on the grounds of “reasonableness”.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A dangerous move”
From the July 29th 2023 edition
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