Proposed legal reforms could be dire for Israel

“ZION SHALL be redeemed with judgment.” The words of the prophet Isaiah are quoted by Simcha Rothman, chairman of the law committee of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, at the start of each of its meetings. Mr Rothman is in charge of pushing through a radical overhaul of the country’s judicial system. On February 13th the committee voted in favour of the first tranche of the changes as nearly 100,000 Israelis demonstrated outside the Knesset.The leaders of those protests cite the same prophecy. And both sides claim the same goal: saving Israel’s democracy. Since Binyamin Netanyahu’s latest government took power in December 2022, Israel has been engulfed by a toxic row over the powers of the fiercely independent Supreme Court. Supporters of the reforms argue that, after decades of a “judicial dictatorship” that has imposed its own left-wing values, they would restore democracy. Opponents say they threaten Israel’s democratic nature and risk introducing majoritarian rule. But it is increasingly clear that the conflict is about more than the role of the country’s judges. The two sides are fighting over different visions of Israel.