Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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Israel's Parliament has approved the first portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's highly controversial plan to curb the influence of Israel's Supreme Court.
Among the initial changes are limits on the Supreme Court's ability to overturn government decisions that the court might find "unreasonable in the extreme" — a designation that many in Netanyahu's governing coalition believe has been used to thwart an increasingly ideological constituency. Eventually, Netanyahu wants to pass legislation that would give elected lawmakers more say in selecting judges.
The Monday vote was 64-0. Not because there's unanimity in Israel, but because of the opposite: The nation is so riven over Netanyahu's proposal — as well as his unprecedentedly right-wing, nationalistic, religious governing coalition — that all 56 opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote.
The approval came after months of unprecedented protests in Israel against the judicial proposition, which could have far-reaching domestic and international implications. It could further complicate the already fraught — and lately, deadly — relations with Palestinians, as well as potentially creating a way for Netanyahu to avoid prosecution on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.
Among the throngs taking to the streets are some who take to the skies: military reservists crucial to Israel's flying corps. More than 10,000 recruits have threatened to resign if the judicial plan passed. Some in security leadership positions have spoken out, too, reflecting the fact that this isn't just a left/right debate. Many consider it core, even existential, to maintaining Israel's democracy. On Saturday, for instance, 15 former army chiefs, police commissioners and intelligence agency chiefs accused Netanyahu of creating "serious damage" to national security.
Beyond Israel itself, the country most committed to that security has been the U.S., with presidents across parties and across the decades supporting the nation. Despite the right-wing rhetoric, most Israelis rightly consider President Joe Biden as a staunch supporter, with 68% expressing confidence in him in a recent Pew Research Center poll, an eight-percentage-point increase over former President Donald Trump and the highest level of the 23 countries Pew surveyed.