Israeli Judiciary Weakened... US Relations Expected to Worsen

Passage of Israel's Judicial Control Bill
Anti-Government Protests Intensify, Roads Blocked with Burned Tires Everywhere

There are prospects that Israel's 'judiciary incapacitation' measures could lead to a deterioration in relations with allies such as the United States. The far-right Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing ahead with measures that eliminate the judiciary's function of checking the executive branch, intensifying political division and turmoil.

On the 24th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Israeli society has reached a critical turning point as the far-right government passed the 'Basic Law Amendment on the Judiciary,' which removes the judiciary's ability to check the executive branch. This bill's passage is seen as a realization of international concerns about the weakening of judicial independence, damage to the democratic system, and escalating tensions with the Palestinians.

In particular, a deterioration in relations with the United States appears inevitable. Since its founding, Israel has been a long-standing ally receiving military aid annually from the U.S., but cracks have appeared in the relationship since the emergence of the historically far-right government that runs counter to the U.S.'s 'two-state solution' (recognizing Palestine and Israel as independent states). WSJ pointed out that relations with other allies, including the U.S., which has regarded Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East, are becoming complicated.

U.S. President Joe Biden took the unusual step of urging Prime Minister Netanyahu to compromise just before the bill's passage. In a statement sent to the online media Axios the day before, President Biden said, "The current judicial reform is becoming more divisive," and added, "Given the various threats and challenges Israel faces, it is not appropriate to rush this matter." The White House also issued a statement describing the bill's passage as "unfortunate," putting pressure on the Israeli government.

On the same day, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) put the Basic Law Amendment on the Judiciary, referred to as the 'judicial reform bill,' to a vote and passed it with 64 votes in favor and 0 against. The opposition boycotted the final vote held after the third reading in protest of the breakdown of negotiations until the last moment, and the bill was passed with the support of 64 ruling party members, concluding the legislative process.

The core of the bill is to eliminate the judiciary's authority to unilaterally annul major decisions of the executive branch. The intention is to effectively incapacitate the judiciary. Yariv Levin, the Minister of Justice who led the amendment, said, "This measure is the first step in a historic process to correct the judicial system," and predicted that further legislation would reduce the judiciary's powers even more.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
Photo by UPI Yonhap News

The bill's passage also poses challenges to the security environment. Thousands of reservists declared before the vote that they would refuse to serve if the judicial takeover plan passed. Military officials warned, "The passage of this bill is weakening unity within the military."

Across Israel, protests against the bill's passage are spreading fiercely. After the bill passed on this day, citizens in major urban centers such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv took to the streets holding Israeli flags, chanting slogans defending democracy and criticizing the destruction of the judiciary. Tens of thousands of citizens who took to the streets blocked major roads and intersections, and the police deployed water cannon trucks, firing strong streams of water to arrest and suppress protesters, escalating into a potential violent clash. According to The New York Times (NYT) and others, anti-government protests in Israel have continued for 29 weeks since the related bill was announced last January.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.