Israel Supreme Court strikes down judicial reforms

TEL AVIV: Supreme Court of Israel has struck down a controversial judicial reform that triggered nationwide protests last year against the Netanyahu government.

The change would have limited the power of the Supreme Court in overturning laws it deemed unconstitutional, BBC reported.

Critics say it would have severely undermined the country's democracy by weakening the judicial system.

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn the law passed by the government in 2023 follows months of internal turmoil.

A statement from the Supreme Court said that 8 out of 15 judges ruled against the law.

The court added that the law would have caused “severe and unprecedented damage to the basic characteristics of the State of Israel as a democratic state”.

Meanwhile, Israel’s justice minister Yariv Levin criticised the judges for “taking into their hands all the powers”.

He called the judges’ decision to strike the law down as ‘undemocratic’.

On the other hand, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid welcomed the verdict of the country’s top court, saying it had “faithfully fulfilled its role in protecting the citizens of Israel”.