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On Thursday, 27 March 2025, the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, passed a bill in the final reading that would expand the powers of politicians in the judicial appointment process. The move was part of a series of controversial decisions by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that have already sparked mass protests across the country. This was reported by Reuters.
The bill amends the composition of the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee. It excludes representatives appointed by the Israeli Bar Association and replaces them with delegates from the government and the opposition. Opposition parties sharply criticised the innovation, calling it a blow to the foundations of Israeli democracy, and boycotted the final vote.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, one of the main initiators of the reform, said that the law, which will come into force with the start of the next parliament, will ensure a “balanced and representative” composition of the committee. According to him, this will ensure that worthy candidates are not excluded because of different views. However, the opposition and protesters saw this as an attempt to subordinate the judiciary to political interests. “This is a very important day, because the government has taken a law that is the cornerstone of democracy and turned it into a political weapon,” said Roni Mamliuk, a protester in Tel Aviv.
The new law is part of a wider package of reforms that have already sparked a wave of protests in 2023. The Netanyahu government argues that these measures, including limiting the powers of the Supreme Court, are necessary to protect parliament from “judicial arbitrariness”. Critics, however, believe that this is an attempt to weaken the independence of the judiciary, a key pillar of Israeli democracy.
The controversy over judicial reform adds to other causes of dissatisfaction with the government, from the resumption of hostilities in Gaza to the recent dismissal of the head of domestic intelligence. Will society be able to find a compromise in this confrontation? For now, the streets of Israeli cities are once again filled with protests, and tensions are only rising.
