Israel’s government reshapes judiciary, triggering renewed protests and amplifying concerns over democratic erosion.

The Israeli parliament has approved a key component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary in defiance of a years-long protest movement, angering critics who decried the law as anti-democratic.

The law that passed on Thursday with 67 votes in the 120-seat parliament or Knesset will give politicians more power over the appointment of judges.

The vote comes days after the government initiated a process to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and discharged Ronen Bar, the head of the internal security agency Shin Bet. Both Baharav-Miara and Bar are critical of Netanyahu.

Critics said the new law was a “catastrophe” and a “nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy”, while the opposition swiftly filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the law.

The overall judicial reform package sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel’s history in 2023 before public concern was overtaken by the war in Gaza.

According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to “restore balance” between the legislative and judicial branches. In his closing remarks ahead of the vote, Levin slammed the Supreme Court, saying it had “effectively nullified the Knesset”.

Israel lacks a written constitution, but it has a number of Basic Laws that set out things such as human rights and the powers of the parliament.

“Our Supreme Court didn’t stop at trampling the Knesset; it placed itself above the government,” Levin said. “It can annul any government action, compel the government to perform any action, cancel any government appointment.

“The days of appeasement and silencing are over, never to return.”

Currently, judges – including Supreme Court justices – are selected by a nine-member committee comprised of judges, lawmakers, and bar association representatives, under the justice minister’s supervision.

Under the new law, which would take effect at the start of the next legislative term, the committee would still have nine members: three supreme court judges, the justice minister and another minister, one coalition lawmaker, one opposition lawmaker, and two public representatives – one appointed by the majority and the other by the opposition.

‘A nail in the coffin’

Yair Lapid, leader of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, announced on X that he had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties.

“Instead of focusing all efforts on their [Israeli captives’] return and healing the divisions within the people, this government is returning to the exact legislation that divided the public before October 7,” Lapid said in his post.

“The amendment passed by the Knesset is another nail in the coffin of Israeli democracy,” said Eliad Shraga, head of NGO the Movement for Quality Government in Israel and one of the petitioners against the law. “This is a calculated attempt to take control of the judicial system and turn it into a tool in the hands of politicians.”

The government’s judicial reforms package, first unveiled in early 2023, triggered massive weekly street protests that polarised Israeli society.

Netanyahu’s critics warn that the multi-pronged package could pave the way for authoritarian rule and be used by the prime minister to quash any possible convictions against him in his ongoing corruption trial, an accusation the prime minister denies.