Critics reportedly view the new legislation as a new effort by the Netanyahu government to control the judiciary, which would also affect the independence of the courts.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed new legislation on Thursday to change the makeup of the judicial selection committee, tightening the grip of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition over the judiciary, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The bill was passed by 67-1 votes in its third and final reading in the 120-seat Knesset, the assembly said in a statement.
The Knesset has approved a controversial bill to reshape the judicial selection process, significantly increasing political influence.
Under the new legislation, the two representatives from the Israel Bar Association on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee will be… pic.twitter.com/h2CAa2nWLF
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 27, 2025
According to the public broadcaster KAN, Israeli opposition lawmakers withdrew from the session in protest of the vote.
The new legislation removes the Israeli Bar Association’s right to appoint two members of the nine-member judicial selection committee, transferring this authority to political parties.
One of the two seats will go to the ruling coalition and the other to the opposition.
Key Selection Body
The judicial selection committee is a key body in selecting judges in all courts across Israel, including the Supreme Court, the Central Court, magistrate courts, and others, the report noted.
The legislation, however, will become effective following the upcoming general elections at the end of 2026, unless there are early elections.
FloodGate Podcast Hosts Richard Falk: On Resistance, Intl Law, and Global Justice
Critics view the new legislation as a new effort by the Netanyahu government to control the judiciary, which would also affect the independence of the courts, the report noted.
It added that the ruling coalition, however, claims that the step was crucial for a judicial overhaul to ensure wide representation in the issue of judge appointments.
The new legislation was passed amid ongoing tensions between Netanyahu’s government and the Bar Association over the prime minister’s steps against the judiciary.
Ronen Bar
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected Netanyahu’s request to lift a freeze on his government’s decision to dismiss Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet security agency, adding to tension between the government and judiciary.
Bar’s Remarks Reveal Netanyahu’s ‘Deliberate Manipulation’ of Talks – Hamas
On Sunday, the Israeli government withdrew confidence from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, in another move against the judiciary by Netanyahu and his ruling coalition.
While lawmakers debated the bill in the Knesset on Wednesday night, thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside the parliament against the government’s plans, the Times of Israel reported.
Anti-government protesters at a demonstration in Jerusalem near the Knesset on Wednesdayhttps://t.co/d8VPDnKplj https://t.co/LENqxJk2UT
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) March 26, 2025
The paper quoted protest organizers as saying in a statement that the government “abandoned the hostages, is harming Israel’s security, and is passing aggressive and extreme legislation without batting an eyelid.”
(Anadolu, PC)
