Knesset passes contentious law to increase political control over judicial appointments

The Knesset has passed the highly controversial bill to change the makeup of the judicial selection committee, which will greatly increase political power over the judicial appointments process in Israel.

The legislation removes the two representatives of the Israel Bar Association currently on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee, which makes all judicial appointments, and replaces them with one lawyer to be directly chosen by the coalition and another chosen by the opposition.

It also gives political representatives from the coalition, opposition and judiciary on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee veto power over lower court appointments, as opposed to the current system where no side has a veto. And it removes any influence of the three judges on the committee over appointments to the Supreme Court while granting the coalition and opposition vetoes.

Critics say the bill, which will only take effect in the next Knesset, will politicize judicial appointments.

The debate on the bill ahead of the final votes in back-to-back second and third readings lasted through the night, due to the unprecedented 71,023 objections the opposition filed against the legislation.

The opposition boycotted the final votes on the bill, with MKs leaving the plenum as the coalition voted.