Supreme Court loses some of its power

Jerusalem Despite drastic warnings and fierce protests, Israel’s parliament on Monday passed the first element of the highly controversial judicial reform: the abolition of the so-called adequacy clause. Representatives of the government and opposition had been looking for a compromise solution behind the scenes until midday. However, the talks failed, as did previous attempts of the kind.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid then made serious accusations against the government in a speech before parliament: They wanted to “tear apart the state, destroy democracy, destroy Israel’s security, the unity of the people of Israel and our international relations”.

So far, the Supreme Court has been able to invoke the abolition of the adequacy clause in order to examine the decisions of individual ministers and, in cases of doubt, to declare them inappropriate. Supporters of the reform accuse the court of excessive interference in political processes, while critics portray the court as the sole control of an already powerful executive branch.