ISRAEL AGAINST THE SUPREME COURT-

The Israeli Knesset Parliament approved the first phase of the law that will cut the powers of the Supreme Court, whose authority will remain at the mercy of the will of the deputies, in a clear rejection of the division of powers, an essential element of democracy.

Thousands of Israelis continue to demonstrate in the streets against this decision, which opposition leader Yair Lapid described as a “defeat for Israeli democracy.”

The Histadrut labor union threatened to declare a general strike if the government pursued what it called “unilateral” measures. A walkout by Histadrut in March prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the legislative process, paving the way for cross-party talks that ultimately collapsed.

Further ratcheting up the pressure on Netanyahu, thousands of military reservists have declared their refusal to serve under a government taking steps that they see as setting the country on a path to dictatorship. Those moves have prompted fears that the military's preparedness could be compromised.