| Israel's Parliament is due today to pass a bill curbing the power of courts to oversee political decisions, a move that has driven hundreds of thousands into the street and exposed an existential fault line through society. The government measure removes from judges the ability to void an appointment or decision due to it being "unreasonable," a broad category that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his religious, right-wing supporters consider a license to legislate from the bench. Key Reading:
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Israel's First Female Attorney General at Center of Judicial Storm Israel's politics have increasingly emphasized Jewish nationalism while the judiciary remains in the hands of those who lean more toward liberal universal principles. So opponents fear the legislation is the beginning of the end of democracy and that minorities and non-Jews won't be properly protected. The fact that Netanyahu's administration includes advocates whose anti-Arab views were once banned, and that he is under indictment for bribery and fraud, adds to critics' sense that this is not a technical adjustment but a power grab. President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial post, has been shuttling between government and opposition leaders in a last-ditch effort to soften the bill, which the government has the votes to pass. The opposition is led by establishment figures in business, law and the military, including its high-tech sector that has created previously unimaginable wealth in a once-poor country. Supporters of the bill say it's time that their political will — more religion in the public square, more Palestinian land in the West Bank annexed — triumphed without being stymied by unelected judges. It's a debate that has been brewing for some time, with the country's deepening polarization seen in its inability to form stable coalitions resulting in repeat elections in recent years. Markets, investments and the shekel have been hit by the controversy as Israel's establishment figures warn that populist forces will threaten the entrepreneurial business culture. The government says democracy will be strengthened. Either way, Israel is heading into unchartered territory. — Ethan Bronner | 
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