In Israel, judicial reforms receive preliminary support from Knesset

Israeli lawmakers on [4 July] gave an initial nod to a bill that limits Supreme Court power to rule against the government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would press on with contentious changes to the justice system. In a stormy session broadcast live, Parliament's constitution committee, dominated by Netanyahu's nationalist-religious ruling coalition, voted in favour of the bill that limits "reasonableness" as a standard of judicial review. [...] The bill still has to pass three readings in parliament to be written into law. The government's legislative judicial push, unveiled soon after Netanyahu regained power in late December atop a hard-right cabinet, has set off unprecedented protests, stirred concerns for Israel's democratic health and dented the economy. [...] Netanyahu has defended the changes as restoring balance between branches of government and redressing what his coalition allies see as judicial overreach. Critics see the push as a disastrous bid by Netanyahu to curb court independence even as he argues his innocence in a long-running corruption trial.
Read the full article here: Reuters