Israeli parliament approves controversial justice law

-Israeli government pushes bill through despite Biden’s warning that it could hurt U.S.-Israel relations

TEL AVIV, Israel – The Israeli parliament on Monday approved a bill that would limit the Supreme Court’s powers to review government actions. The bill was passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 64-member coalition, while the opposition walked out of parliament.

The bill would prevent the Supreme Court from blocking “unreasonable” government measures.

The Israeli government pushed the bill through despite U.S. President Joe Biden’s warning against hasty passage. He had warned that hasty passage of the amendments without broad consensus could hurt U.S.-Israel relations.

The anti-corruption organization Movement for Government Quality has appealed to the Supreme Court against the law. The organization argued that the law is illegal and undermines the separation of powers.

The bill has been met with widespread protests, and hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets.

Opponents of the law fear that it could be used by the current government to shape a more religious and less pluralistic society. The law is also seen as a power grab by the far-right forces led by Netanyahu.

The law is also significant because Israel has no formal constitution. The Supreme Court applies a subjective legal standard to judge the authenticity of laws and government actions.

Experts say, while Israel’s Supreme Court has already been inadequate in checking the government’s systematic oppression of Palestinians, the new law will put no more obstacles in the way of far-right forces expanding settlements and further restricting Palestinian rights.