Why is Israel’s judicial overhaul so divisive?

A demonstrator waves a colored Israeli flag during a protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system, outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, July 24, 2023. The demonstration came hours before parliament was set to vote on a key part of the plan. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) A demonstrator waves a colored Israeli flag during a protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system, outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, July 24, 2023. The demonstration came hours before parliament was set to vote on a key part of the plan. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

By JULIA FRANKEL / Associated Press July 26, 2023 5 min read

JERUSALEM (AP) — For seven months, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judiciary and weaken the Supreme Court.

On Monday, the first piece of that legislative package passed: Lawmakers approved a measure that prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.”

Here’s a look at what the overhaul is — and why it has drawn the most sustained and intense demonstrations the country has ever seen.

WHAT’S IN THE OVERHAUL?