Headline Roundup • July 25th, 2023
Why Is Israel So Divided on Netanyahu’s Judicial Reforms?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing parliamentary coalition passed a fiercely-protested judicial reform bill on Monday, prompting a wave of political commentary.
The Details: The new law will prevent the country’s unelected Supreme Court from striking down parliamentary or executive actions for being “unreasonable.” However, Netanyahu’s coalition is planning other reforms — such as allowing parliamentary overrule of judicial decisions — which were previously delayed after military protests led some to label the proposals a national security risk.
Pro-Reform Perspectives: Opinions on judicial reform generally matched U.S. left-right divisions, but not precisely. A Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) writer framed criticism of Monday’s reform as “exaggerated” but said Netanyahu’s other proposals would leave Israel’s top court a “neutered entity.” The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board (Lean Right bias) said the media was having a “panic attack” over the “modest” reforms and called for compromise.
Anti-Reform Perspectives: Opponents of judicial reform agreed with many Israeli protesters that the changes threatened Israel’s democracy. The Washington Post Editorial Board (Lean Left bias) said the reforms “ignited a political crisis of immense proportions,” and a writer in Haaretz (Center bias) accused Netanyahu’s government of “assassinating” democracy.
Other Arguments: Some, including New York Times (Opinion rated Left) columnist Bret Stephens (Lean Right bias), said the way Netanyahu carried out the reforms was unnecessarily divisive. A writer in The Jerusalem Post (Center bias) said both sides failed to demonstrate leadership and responsibility.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Maya Alleruzzo / Associated Press
Many Israelis, particularly among the Jewish majority, feel a sense of apocalyptic doom today. It is not only a few days before Tisha B’Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the destruction of the two holy temples in Jerusalem. It is also a time of immense political uncertainty in Israel.
The passage of the bill in the Knesset on Monday that prohibits the use of the standard of “extreme unreasonableness” in assessing government decisions is but the first of a series of proposed legislative acts that would strip...
The Knesset parliament of Israel enacted a controversial judicial reform law with a 64-0 vote on Monday. The opposition left the chamber in protest, allowing members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition to provide unitary assent. The law means that Israel's Supreme Court will no longer be able to rule against parliamentary or executive action on the basis of that action being "unreasonable."
The moral and political impact of this law is exaggerated. While many of those now protesting on Israeli streets argue that this change threatens their democracy, there is an equally strong case...
YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90
It was a brief but – quite literally – touching moment, captured in a video clip that was filmed Sunday night at Jerusalem’s Yitzhak Navon Train Station. It quickly went viral, and many of those sharing it quoted the line from the national anthem “Od lo avda tikavatenu” (Our hope is not yet lost).
The clip showed protesters crowded on the long escalators at the station. Those who had been at the massive anti-reform demonstration in Jerusalem were descending to the platforms leading away from the capital, and those coming back from...
