Israel judicial reform: Key bill becomes law amid mass protests

Israeli MPs have passed into law a highly controversial bill despite mass protests which aimed to thwart it.

The law removes the power of the Supreme Court to overrule government actions it considers unreasonable.

It is the first to be approved in a series of bitterly contested reforms aimed at curbing the power of courts.

The planned reforms have triggered some of the biggest protests in Israel's history, with opponents warning they imperil Israel as a democracy.

The government argues that the measures are necessary to correct an imbalance in power which has seen the courts increasingly intervene in political decisions in recent decades.

The so-called "reasonableness" bill was approved by 64 votes to 0, after the opposition boycotted the final vote.

In remarks to the Knesset (parliament), opposition leader Yair Lapid called the step "a takeover by an extreme minority over the Israeli majority".

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the court would remain independent. He said the bill was necessary for the government to "carry out policy in line with the decision of the majority of the citizens of the country".

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