Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition enacted legislation on Thursday morning that handed politicians more control over picking judges, part of a contentious effort to overhaul the Israeli judiciary that roiled the country before the war with Hamas.
Israel’s 120-seat Parliament, known as the Knesset, passed two laws after an hourslong overnight debate in a vote mostly boycotted by the opposition. The legislation revamps the committee that picks judges, including Supreme Court justices, in a way that critics say will politicize the bench.
The law marked the resumption of a two-year effort by Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition to expand its control over other branches of government. Before the Hamas-led attack in October 2023 ignited the war in Gaza, Mr. Netanyahu had attempted similar legislation in the face of mass protests. He suspended the push to preserve wartime unity.
Now, Mr. Netanyahu has returned to the judicial overhaul, along with simultaneous efforts to weaken other state watchdogs. He is trying to fire both the attorney general and the head of the domestic intelligence service.
The laws that passed on Thursday were less far-reaching than the coalition’s initial proposals. But they nonetheless threatened to reignite the uproar that swept the country before the war, even as Israel and Hamas are engaging in a new fighting in Gaza.
Crowds of protesters rallied outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Wednesday to demonstrate against the legislation, waving Israeli flags. But in a sign of how the war has split the priorities of Mr. Netanyahu’s opponents, many showed up carrying signs calling for the government to reach an immediate deal with Hamas to free the hostages in Gaza.
Inside the Parliament building, Mr. Netanyahu gave a fiery address in which he contended that his government’s policies would serve as a long-needed corrective to an unelected “deep state,” echoing rhetoric used by President Donald J. Trump.
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