Netanyahu allies push on with bill to weaken Supreme Court

Israel's parliament on Tuesday advanced a bill that would let lawmakers pass laws that the Supreme Court cannot overturn — a key piece of legislation in Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies' proposed judicial overhaul that has divided the country.

Netanyahu's governing coalition of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties has pressed ahead with its legislative blitz despite calls for compromise and demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands of Israelis to the streets over the past two months.

In an overnight session that stretched into early morning, the Knesset gave initial approval to several pieces of legislation, including a bill protecting the prime minister from being declared unfit for office, or incapacitated, and another to allow settlements in the northern West Bank.

A third piece of legislation that was approved would let parliament pass laws impervious to judicial review, with a simple majority of 61 members in Israel's 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.

Each of the bills require additional votes before being enshrined into law.

The steps were the latest in a series of moves by Netanyahu's coalition to overhaul Israel's legal system. The prime minister and his allies say the effort is aimed at reining in an activist court. Critics say the drive would upend the country's democratic checks and balances, defang the Supreme Court, and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his parliamentary majority.

Business leaders, legal experts and retired military leaders have joined the protests against the judicial overhaul, and Israeli reservists have threatened to stop reporting for duty if the overhaul passes.

Netanyahu returned to power in December, following the country's fifth election in under four years, at the head of Israel's most ultranationalist and religious government to date. He is currently on trial for fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes, charges he denies.