Members of the Israeli parliament on Monday passed legislation initiating a sweeping judicial overhaul, nullifying the power of the Supreme Court to stop government decisions. The law passed 64-0, with all opposing lawmakers leaving the chamber during voting as crowds of protestors congregated outside, according to CNN.
President Joe Biden warned against the bill, saying that a hasty change could be a grave threat to democracy. "Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn't make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this — the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus," Biden said in a statement shared with CNN. Biden had previously vocalized his concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last week.
CNN reported that Netanyahu has stated that he feels the Supreme Court has become exceedingly narrow and elitist, but the prime minister's critics argue that his rushed "reforms" are thinly veiled attempts to defray focus from his own charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust. Ever since the measures were announced early in 2023, Israel has been consumed by civil protests in reaction to the perceived "coup." A leading Israeli rights watchdog, the Movement for Quality Government, appealed to the Supreme court to block the new law. "The government of destruction has raised its malicious hand against the state of Israel. Now it's the Supreme Court's turn to step up and prevent this legislation," Eliad Shraga, the movement's chairman, said in a statement.
