Israeli protesters stage protests after Netanyahu pushes bill to limit judicial powers

TEL AVIV: Israeli protesters have staged new nationwide protests days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed the bill to limit the judicial powers, according to Al Jazeera. The bill has been passed despite six months of protest against the shakeup of the court system since the country's founding.

On Saturday, demonstrators opposed to the judicial reform that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing cabinet are pursuing. They flocked to the streets from northern Galilee to Tel Aviv for the 30th week now. The Israeli parliament's ratification of the "reasonableness clause" bill, the first component of Benjamin Netanyahu's reform package, on Monday, sparked an unprecedented crisis and exposed a widening societal divide.

Israel's parliament Knesset on Monday passed the “Reasonableness” bill, the first major legislation in the government’s plan to weaken the judiciary. The bill in Israel's parliament was passed by a vote of 64-9 with all members of the governing coalition voting in its favour. All the members of the opposition left the chamber when the roll call vote was taking place, according to CNN.

The government is under constant pressure from protesters to stop more reform initiatives from moving forward after parliament’s summer recess. They include major changes to laws shaping the balance of power between the Knesset and the High Court of Justice, splitting the attorney general’s role and limiting the ability to petition against government actions, according to Al Jazeera.

The judicial overhaul is a package of bills that requires to pass three votes in the Knesset. Netanyahu and his supporters have said that the judicial overhaul is meant to rebalance powers between the branches of government. Meanwhile, critics said it poses a threat to Israel's democracy and the independence of the judiciary. Other elements of the overhaul will give the government more control over the appointment of judges and remove independent legal advisors from ministries. Those bills have not yet advanced as far in the legislative process as the reasonableness bill. (ANI)

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