TEL AVIV, July 24. /TASS/. Members of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday passed by majority vote in the second and third readings, the first bill in a set of legislative judicial reform initiatives, thus sparking mass protests by the opposition, according to a broadcast of the legislative session on the Knesset's TV channel.
Sixty-four members of the 120-seat parliament from the ruling coalition voted in favor of the bill, while 56 opposition lawmakers boycotted the final vote and walked out of the hall during the session.
The legislators voted on a bill to repeal the so-called principle of reasonableness, which is part of the Israeli government's planned judicial reform and represents one of the most important and controversial aspects of the plan to reform the Jewish state’s judicial system. Once enshrined in law, the bill will limit the powers of Israel's Supreme Court, which to date has had the power to block any government decision deemed legally unreasonable; the reform will now curtail these powers.
The debate over the controversial bill before the final vote took place amid mass protests outside the Knesset building, where reform opponents have been rallying for the second day in a row. In the morning, police attempted to disperse protesters with water cannons, and at least 19 people were arrested, but the demonstrators refused to leave. The situation was tense inside the Knesset itself as well. During the discussion of a number of amendments, debate featured a sharp, uncivil tone, and opposition legislators did not shy away from employing pointed epithets in criticizing representatives of the ruling coalition. At the end of the session, the opposition walked out, refusing to take part in the final vote, after which the bill took legal effect.