In Israel, the Supreme Court rejects a major provision of the highly contested justice reform carried out by Benjamin Netanyahu

The fifteen judges of the Israeli Supreme Court rejected Monday 1^er January a key part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform. The Prime Minister’s project has deeply divided Israeli society since the start of 2023. Numerous demonstrations have taken place.

In a ruling issued Monday, the court narrowly voted, by an 8-7 majority, in favor of overturning. The Supreme Court considered appeals filed against a first clause of the reform bill, which was adopted by Parliament at the end of July. This measure aims precisely to prevent Supreme Court judges from overturning government decisions on the grounds that they are “unreasonable”which she has done several times so far.

Since its announcement at the beginning of January 2023, the government project has given rise to one of the largest protest movements that Israel has experienced since its creation in 1948.

According to the government, the reform aimed, among other things, at rebalancing powers, by reducing the prerogatives of the Supreme Court for the benefit of Parliament. Opponents of the reform, for their part, fear that the proposed changes, by removing safeguards against the action of the legislative and executive powers, will tip Israeli democracy towards an illiberal system.

They accuse Mr. Netanyahu, on trial for several cases of corruption and conflict of interest, of wanting this reform to get out of his legal troubles. The Prime Minister has not yet reacted to the decision rendered Monday.