Thousands blocked roads outside the Israeli parliament and the country’s 150 largest companies went on strike on Monday as a key bill of the government’s contentious judicial overhaul plan was passed in parliament when all opposition lawmakers boycotted the final vote.
The police tried to disperse the protesters joined by four opposition lawmakers with water cannons. A live broadcast on Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news showed policemen throwing several protesters to the ground before dragging and arresting them.
Ha’aretz newspaper reported that at least two protesters were injured and needed hospital care.
The police said in a statement that at least 19 protesters were arrested.
The law cancels the Supreme Court’s power to override decisions by the ministers that it deems “unreasonable” and is a key part of Netanyahu’s divisive plan to weaken the Supreme Court and reshape the legal system.
Israeli lawmakers passed on Monday a key bill of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system.
Ahead of the vote, all 56 opposition lawmakers tore apart copies of the bill and chanted “Shame!” before leaving the chamber in protest.
Addressing the Israeli parliament after the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a main sponsor of the overhaul plan, hailed the move as “the first step in the historical process of correcting the judicial system and returning powers to the government.”
The vote was approved despite a nationwide protest against the overhaul for 29 consecutive weeks. The coalition government, which is composed of far-right and ultra-religious parties and took office in late December, also ignored calls to halt the bill by business leaders, legal experts, and even the United States, Israel’s closest ally.
More than 11,000 military reservists, including pilots, warned they will not go into the services if the bill is approved, raising concerns among military officials that the country’s military preparedness could be affected.
