Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ The Israeli parliament voted on Monday in favor of a controversial legal reform proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The law reduces the influence of judges on political decisions. The vote centered around the so-called “reasonability principle.” Under the current law, judges in Israel can overturn government policies if they are deemed “unreasonable.” This occurs, for example, when a proposed law violates certain civil rights. The Israeli parliament (the Knesset) has now abolished this principle. The law is part of a broader reform package aimed at further curbing the power of the judiciary by the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If the entire package is approved, the parliament will have the power to “override” decisions of the Supreme Court with a majority vote. Supporters of these reforms argue that it is necessary because they believe the Supreme Court interferes too often in government-proposed legislation. Critics, however, see this as a severe erosion of independent judiciary. A government could thereby exert influence on the composition and decisions of the Supreme Court using its majority in the parliament. This puts the only independent check on legislation out of play, raising concerns. In recent months, the government’s plan under Netanyahu has already sparked significant controversy. People took to the streets en masse to express their dissatisfaction with the proposals. On Monday too, thousands of protesters gathered at the Israeli parliament building to block the entrance. The police used a water cannon to disperse the demonstrators. About the author: Dorian VogtDorian Vogt is the founder of WeeklyNewsReview project and prolific author of many articles here and beyond. His experience is in guiding others is hard to overestimate. His main interests is Zürich city topics. You can't find anyone more in the know about the local news.
