Israeli lawmakers approve key part of judicial overhaul amid massive protests 

The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Monday approved a key part of the controversial judicial reforms backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The vote came after a tumultuous session, where opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” and walked out ahead of the vote. Without the opposition, legislators voted 64-0 to approve the measure, which will prevent judges from overturning government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.”

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who orchestrated the reforms, said lawmakers had taken the “first step in an important historic process.”

The judicial reform bill has sparked controversy and protests across the country as critics labeled the move as a threat to democratic values. The changes would allow the government to overrule Supreme Court decisions and give the executive branch more power to appoint justices.

With the Knesset stamp of approval, more protests are expected in the country in the coming days and weeks. Movement for Quality Government, a nonprofit organization, already announced it would challenge the law in the Supreme Court.

The group said in a statement that the measure is “unconstitutional” because it “fundamentally changes the basic structure of Israeli parliamentary democracy and the nature of the regime, while de facto abolishing the judiciary and seriously damaging the delicate fabric of the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances in the State of Israel.”

The vote came just hours after Netanyahu was released from the hospital after being fitted for a pacemaker over the weekend.

The Biden administration and U.S. lawmakers have denounced the proposed reforms, with President Biden saying earlier this year that he hopes Netanyahu “walks away” from pursuing them. In a statement to Axios on Sunday, Biden called on the prime minister to not advance the bill.

“Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this — the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” he said.

The vote also follows Biden extending an invitation to Netanyahu to the U.S. after the two leaders talked on the phone together last week. 

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated 12:53 p.m.