Israel govt on shaky ground after Supreme Court axes judicial reforms

Ruling dashes hopes of Netanyahu coalition to limit powers of country’s judiciary

- Jonathan Eyal

Israel's right-wing government is in for a rocky ride after the country's Supreme Court struck down key legislation sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an attempt to curb the powers of the country's judiciary.

By a majority of eight justices to seven, the Supreme Court ruled on Jan 1 that a Bill passed by the Israeli Parliament depriving the country's judges of powers to scrutinise decisions taken by government ministers is "invalid".

In an even more remarkable development, the Supreme Court ruled by a more significant majority of 12 out of its 15 justices that it has the authority to intervene in exceptional cases in which the Knesset - Israel's Parliament exceeds its authority by adopting laws which go against the very nature of the country as a democratic state.

The move not only kills off Mr Netanyahu's year-long attempt to fight his country's assertive judiciary, but is also almost sure to bring about the collapse of his coalition government, just as the nation remains embroiled in a bloody and increasingly indecisive war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Mr Netanyahu, 74, returned to power in late 2022 by persuading some of Israel's most extreme right-wing minority parties to join him in a government which pledged to "defang" the Israeli judiciary.

His coalition partners had different reasons for wanting to curtail the courts.

The Israeli Premier is facing a litany of criminal cases for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust, charges he claims are politically inspired by a legal system supposedly full of "left-wing sympathisers".

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's coalition associates, Jewish religious zealots on the right-wing fringes of Israel's political life, hate the judiciary because Israeli courts frequently strike down measures designed to impose religious restrictions on the population.