Israeli parliament approves first part of judicial overhaul

Israel's Parliament approved divisive legislation Monday that remakes part of the country’s justice system, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was released from the hospital after having a pacemaker fitted.

The Knesset voted on Monday afternoon to approve the bill, which prevents the top court from using the standard of reasonableness to strike down government decisions, USA Today reports.

The battle over the judicial changes has sparked months of protests, triggered cracks in Israel’s crucial military reserve, and drawn criticism from key allies such as the US.

The judicial overhaul has divided Israel, testing the fragile social ties that bind the country, rattling the cohesion of its powerful military, and repeatedly drawing concern from its closest ally, the United States. It is being driven by Netanyahu's governing coalition, which is made up of ultranationalist and ultra-religious parties.

Early Monday, protesters blocked a road leading to the Knesset, Israel's Parliament. Police used water cannons to push them back. Businesses across the country shuttered their doors in protest of the vote.

Netanyahu’s sudden hospitalization over the weekend for the implant of a pacemaker added another twist to an already dramatic series of events. Netanyahu's doctors said Sunday the procedure had gone smoothly. In a short video statement from the hospital late Sunday, Netanyahu, 73, said he felt fine and thanked his doctors for his treatment and the public for wishing him well. He said he planned to vote Monday on the reforms.

In Monday's vote, legislators decided on a measure to prevent judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.” Proponents say the current standard gives judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials. Critics say removing it would allow the government to pass arbitrary decisions, make improper appointments or firings and open the door to corruption.

The overhaul is one part of sweeping changes aimed at curbing the powers of Israel's judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions to changing the way judges are selected.

Netanyahu and his far-right allies say the changes are needed to curb the powers of unelected judges. Their opponents, coming largely from Israel's professional middle class, say the plan will destroy the country’s fragile system of checks and balances and push Israel toward authoritarian rule.