# Israeli Parliament Passes Law Limiting the Power of the Judiciary {struck down 1 Jan 2024} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 24, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472 "2023-07-24T14:37:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/21 "2023-07-25T13:41:30Z")
I know… hmm… more than a couple of people who have moved out of Israel to countries like Spain, Portugal, the USA, Germany, Georgia, and Japan, either to find a job or because the cost of living was too high, but I do not know if all of those economic woes can be pinned solely on “Bibi’s supporters” rather than (for society as a whole) too much apathy and not enough focused activism against certain long-term trends. I also heard (this is getting to be second-hand information, though, so do not necessarily place too much weight on it) that some people who immigrated, or tried to immigrate, to Israel experienced Byzantine difficulties because they were not (or someone thought they were not) Jewish, which on the other hand may be indicative of a real influence of religious fundamentalists on the bureaucracy, plus it seems chilling that anyone would know, keep track of, or care about people’s religion or ethnicity, I mean when it comes to people immigrating to work in industry or academia, not the “Law of Return” situation which makes it easy for people with e.g. Jewish grandparents to get Israeli citizenship. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/22 "2023-07-25T13:54:50Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > but maybe when the financial system starts to crash, they’ll pull their heads out of their asses. Or it might work out like Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/23 "2023-07-25T14:34:31Z")
The doctors are on strike? > **[Israel Protests: Changes to Judiciary Deepen Split in Israel as Opponents...](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/07/25/world/israel-judicial-vote-protests)** > > The law is the first step by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to curb the influence of judges, though its effects may not be fully clear for months. Protests calmed, but thousands of doctors scaled back medical operations to oppose the... ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/24 "2023-07-25T14:45:50Z")
Yeah, I saw that. This new law must be more egregious than I thought – doctors on strike, talk of a general strike. I wonder if Alessan is out protesting or something. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/25 "2023-07-25T15:28:50Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The doctors are on strike? Too bad they weren’t striking when Netanyahu had a heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/26 "2023-07-25T16:46:26Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I wonder if Alessan is out protesting or something. I just hope Alessan is okay, with all the unrest going on things might get nasty. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/27 "2023-07-25T16:51:39Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I wonder if Alessan is out protesting or something. I suspect so, I think they mentioned having been at earlier protests some time ago in another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/28 "2023-07-25T17:05:02Z")
What I’m wondering… A few months ago, they were planning to do this, but they backed down in the face of massive protest. What’s changed now, only a few months later, that they’re going forward with it again? And assuming the opposition is as strong as it looks like, when would be the next opportunity to vote Netanyahu out of office? I assume that that would take the form of some seats in the parliament changing parties in a general election. I know that the dates of general elections in parliamentary systems are fluid, but how long can they put it off for? ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/29 "2023-07-25T17:31:18Z")
I found this video from the Times of Israel very interesting. I think it relates directly to the internal conflict in Israel. It’s focused on Jerusalem, but I’d imagine it’s true in much of Israel. In short, some of the different groups in Israel (particularly the Haredi and Secular) don’t get along well, and with the population of Haredi increasing at a much higher rate, conflict (and change). > **[State of Jerusalem: The ‘Secular’ Struggle](https://www.timesofisrael.com/state-of-jerusalem-the-secular-struggle/)** > > In this first part of our three-part miniseries, we examine conflicts among Jerusalem's Jewish communities With each passing year I grow more and more tired of the problems religion causes. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/30 "2023-07-25T17:51:07Z")
It is supposed to be four-year terms: recall that (after the fifth general election in three or four years) Netanyahu recently got a majority (64/120) coalition government, so there do not _have_ to be elections until 2026 or 2027. If the government collapsed (yet again) for some reason then there would be more elections, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/31 "2023-07-25T20:16:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > With enough court & legislative connivance it is quite possible to lose the election and still be inaugurated. > > It’s a good thing Trump hasn’t had the courts on his side, and he only has some of the legislature. > > What’s happening in Israel I hope to never see in the US. I fear that we are much closer to that fate in the US than any of us like to admit. I’ll either be more concerned or less depending on how the 2024 election plays out. > [@Babale](#): > > Those dumb bastards are gonna drag us back to the bronze age. The ultra-conservative religious types never left. If anything, they want to be MORE conservative and “authentic” than people actually were in the bronze age. Can’t wait for someone to suggest destroying Al-Aqsa and building a Third Temple. They’ve already got a [national security minister talking about expelling Arabs from the country](https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/01/what-does-israels-new-government-mean-israeli-palestinian-conflict) and the [Finance Minister is quoted as saying there’s no such thing as a Palestinian.](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/middleeast/israel-smotrich-palestinians-intl/index.html) > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It looks like many businesses are working to move their money away from Israel. This cannot be good for their economy: Yep. Apparently the shekel started falling value as of today. > [@Babale](#): > > Yes, Netanyahu is going to destroy everything that makes Israel a prosperous and successful nation. AND that’s going to splash mud on the other 60% of the Jews of the world who live outside Israel. > [@DPRK](#): > > I also heard (this is getting to be second-hand information, though, so do not necessarily place too much weight on it) that some people who immigrated, or tried to immigrate, to Israel experienced Byzantine difficulties because they were not (or someone thought they were not) Jewish, which on the other hand may be indicative of a real influence of religious fundamentalists on the bureaucracy, plus it seems chilling that anyone would know, keep track of, or care about people’s religion or ethnicity, I mean when it comes to people immigrating to work in industry or academia, not the “Law of Return” situation which makes it easy for people with e.g. Jewish grandparents to get Israeli citizenship. Yes, that sort of crap can happen if they religious fanatics who have their hands in immigration decide you’re not Jewish enough. Myself, for instance - they likely would not accept my mother’s conversion and therefore would brand me “not Jewish”. Nevermind mind _some_ of my grandparents were Jewish, they weren’t the _correct_ grandparents. Those same nutjobs can also prevent people from getting married. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/32 "2023-07-25T20:27:48Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yes, that sort of crap can happen if they religious fanatics who have their hands in immigration decide you’re not Jewish enough. Myself, for instance - they likely would not accept my mother’s conversion and therefore would brand me “not Jewish”. Nevermind mind _some_ of my grandparents were Jewish, they weren’t the _correct_ grandparents. > > Those same nutjobs can also prevent people from getting married. NB the people in question are not “not Jewish enough”, exactly. They are not Jewish _at all_. Keep in mind that only 0.2% or thereabouts of the world’s population is Jewish, so it seems like too much to expect, let’s say a random tech worker, to be Jewish to boot. This is a real problem right now for a good friend of mine (perhaps the company he works for will be able to exert some influence?), and I know one other person who had to leave Israel against her will after a few years of residence, though I am not privy to the dirty details. Re. marriage, another friend is partnered to an Israeli, is a professor at an Israeli university, they have kids, and live in Israel, but they are simply not legally married and she still has paperwork problems, in any case. If the economy really tanks then the religious fanatics will no longer have to worry about turning away talented immigrants, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/33 "2023-07-26T00:35:34Z")
3 posts were merged into an existing topic: [SeamusMuadhen Trock posts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seamusmuadhen-trock-posts/987599/18) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/34 "2023-07-25T20:40:51Z")
> [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/987599/18): > > Labor is bound to be in power again sooner or later. Has Netanyahu not considered what they might do with this expanded executive power? The purpose of these expanded executive powers is to prevent Labour (or any other centrist or left leaning party) from taking power ever again. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/36 "2023-07-25T20:50:19Z")
There’s no constitution, right? So, the laws governing elections would then be directly controlled by a majority vote of the current Knesset without a check from the judiciary ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/37 "2023-07-25T21:08:39Z")
There could still be a constitutional crisis, though, or at least the head of the Mossad seems to think so: > **[Israel's Mossad chief: I'll be on 'right side of history' if constitutional...](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-07-24/ty-article/.premium/israels-mossad-chief-ill-be-on-right-side-of-history-if-constitutional-crisis-unfolds/00000189-8833-d5eb-abcb-f9f778c50000)** > > \*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/38 "2023-07-25T21:08:58Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > This new law must be more egregious than I thought – doctors on strike, talk of a general strike. I don’t think it’s just this law – this is likely to be the first in a series of similar power-consolidating moves and if Netanyahu could breeze this one through smoothly, who knows how far he could go. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/40 "2023-07-25T21:21:11Z")
Well, many are, but also constantly facing an existential threat. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/41 "2023-07-25T21:22:47Z")
Likud won in 1977, if anyone was paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472/42 "2023-07-25T21:27:00Z")
> [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/987599/20): > > How is it that Likud even still EXISTS?! They shore up the fanatically religious vote as well as the terrified of Arabs vote. Many people wonder what the purpose of terrorism against Israel is. _Do they really think that if they blow up enough shopping centers the Israelis will leave?_. No - **this** is the purpose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-parliament-passes-law-limiting-the-power-of-the-judiciary-struck-down-1-jan-2024/987472.md?page=3)