Knesset passes first judicial reform bill into law as protest flare

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The Knesset (Photo: Getty Images)

Ahead of the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin questioned "what is reasonable in the eyes of the judges? Who decided that their personal positions are better than those of the ministers?

“Where is the school to learn about reasonableness? Is there such a place? Of course not, because 'reasonableness' is a worldview. It’s not a legal matter,” added Levin.

Opposition and Yesh Atid Party leader Yair Lapid earlier Monday denounced the legislation as a “hostile takeover of the Israeli majority by an extremist minority," adding, “You know that what’s happening here is a disaster that can be prevented. A tragedy that we must stop."

The votes drew thousands of anti-reform demonstrators to Jerusalem, while on Sunday night tens of thousands of supporters of judicial reform gathered in Tel Aviv for a major rally.

Twelve people were arrested outside the Knesset on Monday as anti-reform demonstrators tried to blockade the building in Jerusalem's Givat Ram neighborhood, leading to clashes with police.

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Anti-overhaul activists block a raod during a protest against the government's judicial overhaul, near the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 24, 2023. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Law enforcement used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators blocking access to the Knesset.

Five protesters were brought to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem with minor injuries, Israeli media reported. Police said that three officers were treated at the hospital for light injuries.

“A violent siege in an attempt to prevent members of the Knesset from exercising their right and duty to vote in the plenum is not democracy," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Thousands of IDF reservists have threatened not to report for duty if the amendment became law.

President Isaac Herzog said ahead of the final votes that there was a "state of national emergency," as politicians were trying to work out a last-minute compromise.

Last week, Netanyahu said that the reform initiative “isn’t the end of democracy, but rather will strengthen democracy. The rights of the courts and Israeli citizens will not be harmed in any way. The court will continue to monitor the legality of government decisions and appointments. [We] will be required to act in good faith and with proportionality, fairness and equality,” he said.

Israeli financial markets tumbled after the vote, with the shekel hitting a two-week low versus the dollar.