Israel’s parliament passed a judicial overhaul law on Monday with the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition of 64 lawmakers.
The law limits the Israeli Supreme Court’s ability to overturn decisions made by government ministers. It is considered the first stage of a broader effort to curb the judiciary’s influence.
“We have completed the first step in our historic, important process of fixing the justice system,” said Yariv Levin, a senior member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, according to The New York Times.
Levin, a key architect of the judicial plan, said passage of the bill was “an extraordinary moment” for the country.
The legislation, however, has proven controversial, trigging a walkout among opposition lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset. Additionally, further mass demonstrations and a possible strike by workers and military reservists could be on the horizon.
Thousands of protesters shouted “Democracy!” and blew horns in the streets near the Knesset and other government buildings.
“This is the destruction of Israeli democracy,” claimed Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We will not give up. We will not surrender. We will not let them turn Israel into a broken, undemocratic country, which is run by hatred and extremism.”
The protests reflect a divide over what it means to be a Jewish citizen in a democratic state, experts say.
“This is a clash between the Israelis and the Jews,” Gideon Rahat, chair of the political science department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, told WSJ.
Rahat said the Israelis envision a secular Zionist state. The Jews want to rebuild the Jewish kingdom that reigned more than 2,000 years ago.
“It’s a clash between a more civil identity and a more religious identity,” he told the news outlet.
Netanyahu will address the nation later on Monday, a spokesman said.
