At its core, Israel’s planned judicial overhaul would give the country’s parliament, the Knesset, and thus the parties in power, more control over the judiciary.
From the way judges are selected, to what laws the Supreme Court can rule, to even empowering parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions, these changes will be significant shake-ups. most important to Israel’s judiciary since its founding in 1948.
What it means for Palestinians: Undermining the judiciary could limit both Israelis and Palestinians from seeking court protection of their rights if they believe they have been violated by the government.
Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank could be affected, and of course Israeli Palestinian citizens or resident card holders would be directly affected. Israel’s Supreme Court has no influence over what happens in Gaza, which is ruled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Critics of the changes fear that if politicians gain more control, the rights of minorities in Israel, especially Palestinians living in Israel, will be affected.
For example, last year the court halted the deportation of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, where Jewish groups have claimed ownership of the land the families have lived in for many years. decade.
At the same time, Palestinian activists argue that the high court further solidified Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, never considering the legitimacy of Israeli settlements there, even though they were rejected by most. considered illegal by the international community.
The Supreme Court has also been the subject of complaints from Israeli settlers and far-right, who say it is bias against settlers; they condemned the court’s involvement in approving the deportation of settlers from Gaza and the Northwest Bank in 2005.
