The Israeli Assembly approved the draft law that will limit the powers of the Supreme Court, despite the ongoing protests around the parliament since yesterday.
Yair Lapid, former Prime Minister and leader of the main opposition party “There is a Future”, said in a statement after the law was passed that they would apply to the Supreme Court for the annulment of the law, “in the face of the abolition of the democratic structure of the Israeli state and the undemocratic practices in the Parliamentary Commission where the law was prepared”.
“We will not surrender, they will not be able to decide when our struggle will end,” Lapid said. said.
“Continue the judicial regulation” message from the far-right Minister
The far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who drew the opposition’s reaction with his statements during the judicial regulation debate, said that the passing of the law “is good news for Israel, which has become a little more democratized from now on”.
Ben-Gvir stated that the law passed by the government today “is only the beginning” and gave the message that the government will continue to regulate the judiciary.
Israeli NGO applied to the Supreme Court for the annulment of the law
Israel-based non-governmental organization “Quality Governance Movement” reported that the government applied to the Supreme Court for the annulment of the law that removed the control of the Supreme Court.
In a written statement released by the movement, the movement argued that the law “should be considered illegal because it drastically changed the form of government in the country and upset the balance of separation of powers”.
Controversial judicial regulation
The “judicial reform” announced by Israeli Minister of Justice Yariv Levin on January 5 includes changes such as limiting the powers of the Supreme Court and the power to have a say in judicial appointments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on March 27 that he postponed the judicial regulation, which led to increasing mass protests and strikes across the country, but announced that they would bring the judicial regulation back to the agenda after the 2023-2024 budget was passed by the Parliament at the end of May.
The government had recently pushed the button again for judicial regulation after negotiations with the opposition stalled.
The Netanyahu government adopted the draft law that would lift the Supreme Court’s control over the government within the scope of judicial regulation in the Parliament today.
Opposing the government’s “judicial reform”, thousands of Israelis, including fighter pilots, submarine officers and other elite troops, had decided to leave their voluntary reservists.
Names who held high positions in politics, army, security, economy and judiciary in Israel declared that they were against the government’s judicial regulation.
The protest movement of the Netanyahu government against judicial regulation has been continuing its demonstrations for about 7 months.