A KEY portion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to curb the power of the judiciary received parliamentary approval today, despite massive protests that have exposed deep splits in society.

The vote came after a stormy session in which opposition legislators chanted “shame” and then stormed out of the chamber.

Mr Netanyahu proposes sweeping reductions in the powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions to changing how judges are selected.
He and his allies claim the changes are needed to curb the power of judges to overrule elected politicians.

Protesters see the plan as a power grab fuelled by the personal and political grievances of Mr Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his partners.

Today's vote approved a measure that prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.”

With the opposition out of the hall, the measure passed by a 64-0 margin.Afterwards, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the plan, said parliament had taken “first step in an important historic process” of overhauling the judiciary.

More mass protests are now expected and civil society group the Movement for Quality Government immediately vowed to challenge the new law in the Supreme Court.

The grassroots protest movement condemned the vote, saying that Mr Netanyahu’s “government of extremists is showing their determination to jam their fringe ideology down the throats of millions of citizens.

“No one can predict the extent of damage and social upheaval that will follow the passage of the legislation,” it said.

Earlier, tens of thousands of people gathered for mass rallies for and against the plan.

Protesters banging drums and blowing horns blocked a road leading to the parliament, known as the Knesset, and police used water cannons to push them back. The protest movement said that one of its leaders had been arrested.

Thousands of military reservists have declared their refusal to serve under a government taking steps that they see as setting the country on a path to dictatorship.

“We are headed for disaster,” opposition leader Yair Lapid declared in the run-up to the vote.

Just hours before it, Netanyahu was discharged from hospital after having a pacemaker fitted.

President Joe Biden warned on Sunday night against pushing ahead with the legal changes, saying: “It doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this."