Supreme Court Strikes Down Judicial Reform In Further Blow To PM

On 1 January, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a ruling that strikes down a law intended to curb the powers of said court. The political fight between proponents of the law in gov't, who argue the Supreme Court's ability to invalidate gov't decisions is anti-democratic, and opponents, who argue the Court acts as a crucial balance to executive power, dominated Israeli politics in 2023 prior to the 7 Oct attacks.

• In an 8-7 ruling, the Court struck down the law but it is unclear whether PM Benjamin Netanyahu will abide by the decision. Netanyahu's Likud party condemned the decision, while the main opposition Yesh Atid offered restrained praise amid focus on the Israel-Hamas war.
• Justice Minister Yariv Levin committed to passing the full package of judicial overhauls once the war is over, but by then it is unclear whether the Netanyahu gov't will still be in place.
• Netanyahu faces an ongoing corruption trial, with the promise of passing judicial reforms one of the key pledges made to ultranationalist parties that support his gov't in exchange for them backing his attempts to gain parliamentary immunity.