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JERUSALEM — Israel’s far-right ruling coalition voted tentatively on Tuesday to limit the Supreme Court’s judicial review powers, sparking immediate protests in the streets and threatening a return to the unrest that has rocked the country for months.
Just hours after the early morning vote, protesters disrupted traffic on dozens of streets, in some cases setting up tents and lighting bonfires. According to local media and social media posts, before the start of the morning rush hour, police dragged protesters off the road and used water cannon to clear the way.
According to media estimates, the crowd in front of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem had grown to over a thousand people by late morning. Police prevented another march from reaching the Supreme Court building.
The police said they had arrested more than 65 demonstrators by midday. Officers also arrested a driver who was reportedly trying to pluck his car into the crowd of protesters.
After Netanyahu’s judicial withdrawal, the Israelis are regrouping for the next round
The measures marked the end of a three-month lull in the chaos after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu temporarily shelved the broader judicial review package in March.
Israel’s parliament tentatively voted on July 11 on a bill that would limit the Supreme Court’s judicial review powers. (Video: Portal)
Organizers promised a “day of unrest” on Tuesday and urged union leaders to call a general strike. In social media posts, they urged citizens to “stand together and protect Israeli democracy.” Demonstrations also took place in Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities.
After a protest leader ordered crowds to close Ben Gurion Airport, Energy Secretary Israel Katz called for his arrest “immediately on charges of sedition and disturbance of public order”.
Videos posted online show officers brandishing batons, arm-gripping protesters and, in at least some cases, pushing them to the ground. A protester with a bloody face, he was shown being helped by others.
Demonstrators warned of more aggressive police action after right-wing leaders called for a crackdown on the protests, blockading roads and in some cases targeting MPs’ homes. Netanyahu’s national security minister, extremist settler leader Itamar Ben Gvir, has demanded police halt house protests and use flashbang grenades and other harsh tactics against protesters.
Tel Aviv District Police Commander Ami Eshed resigned last week, saying he was unwilling to follow Ben Gvir’s orders and that the tactic “could have filled the emergency room”.
It was unclear how far the protests would spread. The head of Israel’s largest trade union federation, Arnon Bar-David, begged Netanyahu to withdraw the legislation and “stop the chaos” but did not announce a general strike.
According to the group Brothers and Sisters in Arms, some veterans and military reservists took part in demonstrations on Tuesday. About 200 Reserve Air Force pilots and auxiliaries met to discuss next steps, according to Haaretz daily.
The flare-up of anger reflected a growing divide between ultra-Orthodox and religiously nationalist voters and more secular Jews and Palestinian citizens of Israel. These long-simmering tensions erupted shortly after Netanyahu’s ruling coalition took power in December with intent to limit the court’s ability to block its most controversial actions.
The proposed reform has been welcomed by Jewish settlers who have suffered from court-ordered restrictions on their operations in the West Bank. They were joined by ultra-Orthodox leaders who want to protect their exemption from military service and other religious privileges threatened by judicial oversight.
But opponents, including technicians and other educated professionals in coastal cities, see the sweeping revisions as a threat to judicial independence that would propel Israel toward autocracy.
The plan drew a huge backlash when it was introduced. Weeks of unprecedented street protests spooked investors and hurt Israel’s economy. Reserve Air Force pilots boycotted training missions, prompting the defense minister to warn that the country’s military preparedness could be waning.
After a nationwide general strike that briefly closed the airport, Netanyahu put the whole package on hold in March. But under pressure from stubborn ministers and after compromise talks with opposition leaders broke down, Netanyahu is now allowing part of the plan to go ahead.
The measure proposed on Tuesday would eliminate the Supreme Court’s ability to override government measures if judges believe they fall outside the bounds of “reasonableness”.
Without a written constitution, the courts have used the doctrine of “reasonableness” to block certain controversial decisions and appointments. Earlier this year, in a case that angered conservatives, the court forced Netanyahu to sack a key political ally — ultra-Orthodox party leader Aryeh Deri — from his dual appointments as health and home affairs minister.
The court ruled that Deris’ multiple criminal convictions, including for tax fraud in 2022, made his appointment “highly inappropriate”. Netanyahu followed “with a heavy heart”.
Members of the government complain that the doctrine is unclear, has no legal basis and prevents it from implementing the program voters voted it to adopt. Opponents say that without a written constitution, the court’s adequacy standard is one of the few checks on government power.
“This is a time of great upheaval in Israel,” said Rivka Weill, professor of constitutional law at Reichman University. “This government is determined to push for some kind of constitutional reform.”
Removing the court’s review powers would mean the return of Deri and other controversial appointments, Weill said. And it could give the government a freer hand to sack independent justice officials, including Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who has angered coalition members for not prosecuting more protesters. At a cabinet hearing on Sunday, Baharav-Miara was snubbed by Ben Gvir and other officials who expressed their desire to remove her from office.
The Attorney General said she would not bow to pressure and on Tuesday issued a warning that police should not block demonstrations at the airport because it is a legitimate public space for protests. Officials had the right to provide security. By midday, hundreds of people could be seen crowded in front of the international arrivals hall.
The preliminary vote on the measure narrowly failed in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and all coalition members voted in favor of it. But the justice proposals have led to divisions within the coalition itself.
Parties representing settlers and ultra-Orthodox voters have called for the measure to be passed before the Knesset’s summer recess. Others, including members of Netanyahu’s own Likud party, voiced caution.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Monday he believed some coalition members, who want to prevent a return to national chaos, could vote against the bill when it comes to final passage.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu is said to be ready to water down the proposal in a bid to stem public backlash, a possibility angering conservatives.
“Yesterday the Knesset spoke very, very clearly,” lawmaker Simcha Rothman, one of the leaders of the Justice Initiative, said in a radio interview on Tuesday. “I’ll say it explicitly: I don’t think there will be any significant changes to the bill.”
Talks over a possible compromise package of judicial revisions negotiated by Israeli President Isaac Herzog stalled last month over disputes over the composition of the parliamentary committee that selects judges.
Lapid and Herzog called for those meetings to resume in light of Tuesday’s vote. “Come to your senses, put your ego aside and start talking again,” Herzog said, according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
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