Israel judicial reform explained: What is the crisis about?
Israel has been gripped by months of mass protests against government plans. Here's why.
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What are the legal reforms at the centre of the crisis?
They concern the power of the government versus the power of the courts to scrutinise and even overrule the government. The government - and others - say reform is overdue, though the plans go much further than many people would like.Besides the "reasonableness" law, the government wants to:
- Weaken the power of the Supreme Court to review or throw out laws, enabling a simple majority of one in the Knesset (parliament) to overrule such decisions, although Mr Netanyahu has said he will not proceed with this particular reform
- Have a decisive say over who becomes a judge, including in the Supreme Court, by increasing its representation on the committee which appoints them
- Scrap the requirement for ministers to obey the advice of their legal advisers - guided by the attorney general - which they currently have to do by law
