ALBAWABA - With a vote count of 64 to 56, Israel's Knesset passes the first initial approval of the judicial overhaul bill that aims toward limiting the supreme court's powers over important matters in the country.
Israeli lawmakers have voted for the passage of the first draft of what would be deemed the biggest change in the judicial system in Israel.
The bill's next stage will be a return to the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee for its second and third reading before officially adopting the law.
Earlier Monday morning, Israelis have taken over the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to protest amid the voting session. Protestors were seen sitting on the floor inside the Knesset building before were forcibly dragged out.
The controversial bill was introduced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies who claim that the overhauls aim toward balancing the branches of government and reversing decades of judicial corruption.
In a desperate attempt to tone down the protests against his suggestion, Netanyahu assured that “even after the amendment, court independence and civil rights in Israel will not be harmed in any way. The court will continue to oversee the legality of government action and appointments,”.
Some regard Netanyahu, who is under investigation for corruption charges, as a threat to the independence of the courts.
27 weeks of protests
Protesters are out in force, according to organizers, 365,000 people are expected to have gone out in cities around the country, with 180,000 people in the streets of central Tel Aviv alone, arguably the largest protests so far.
Ever since the bill has been on the Knesset table in January, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to express their absolute firm rejection of Netanyahu's suggested bill, as they believe it would give politicians the upper hand in where the country moves forward.
