A blow against Israel’s Supreme Court plunges the country into crisis

On July 24th Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed the first in a series of laws aimed at drastically limiting the powers of the country’s Supreme Court. Members of the opposition walked out in protest at the final reading of the law, which passed 64-0 in the 120-strong chamber, with the votes of all the members of the far-right coalition led by the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. The law all but eliminates the court’s ability to overturn government decisions on the grounds of “reasonableness”.

Since the coalition presented its plans nearly eight months ago, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in protest. Mr Netanyahu’s allies claim that in recent decades the Supreme Court has been too interventionist and that its powers should be curbed. Opponents of the reforms argue that they will undermine Israeli democracy and risk introducing majoritarian rule.