JERUSALEM—Israeli lawmakers on Monday approved a key portion of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s divisive plan to reshape the country’s justice system despite massive protests that have exposed unprecedented fissures in Israeli society.
The vote came after a stormy session in which opposition lawmakers chanted “shame” and then stormed out of the chamber.
The vote reflected the determination of Mr. Netanyahu and his right allies to move ahead with the plan, which has tested the delicate social ties that bind the country, rattled the cohesion of its powerful military and repeatedly drawn concern from its closest ally, the United States.
In Monday’s vote, lawmakers approved a measure that prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable.”
Proponents say the current “reasonability” standard gives unelected judges excessive powers over decision-making by elected officials. But critics of the government says it removes a key element of the court’s oversight powers and opens the way for corruption and improper appointments.
With the opposition out of the hall, the measure passed by a 64–0 margin.
After the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the plan, said parliament had taken “first step in an important historic process” of overhauling the judiciary.
More mass protests were expected after the vote.
Earlier, demonstrators blocked a road leading up to the parliament, and big mall chains and some gas stations shuttered their doors in protest.
Further ratcheting up the pressure on Mr. Netanyahu, thousands of military reservists have declared their refusal to serve under his government. Those moves have prompted fears that the military’s preparedness could be compromised.
Ahead of Monday’s vote, opposition leader Yair Lapid had declared: “We are headed for disaster.”
The vote came only hours after Mr. Netanyahu was released from the hospital, where he had a pacemaker implanted. His sudden hospitalization added another dizzying twist to an already dramatic series of events, which were watched closely in Washington. The Biden administration has frequently spoken out against Mr. Netanyahu’s government and its overhaul plan. In a statement to the news site Axios late Sunday, President Joe Biden warned against pushing ahead with the legal changes that were sparking so much division.
“Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this—the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” he told the site.
The overhaul calls for sweeping changes aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions to changing the way judges are selected. Mr. Netanyahu and his allies say the changes are needed to curb the powers of unelected judges.
As lawmakers debated, tens of thousands of people gathered for mass rallies for and against the plan.
Protesters banging on drums and blowing horns blocked a road leading to Israel’s parliament, or Knesset, and police used water cannons to push them back. The protest movement said one of its leaders was arrested.
Despite the attempts to project business as usual, Mr. Netanyahu’s schedule was disrupted by his hospitalization, with a Cabinet meeting and trips postponed. His doctors said Sunday the procedure had gone smoothly and the prime minister said in a short video statement from the hospital late Sunday that he felt fine.
Mr. Netanyahu paused the overhaul in March after intense pressure by protesters and labor strikes that halted outgoing flights and shut down parts of the economy. After talks to find a compromise failed last month, he said his government was pressing on with the overhaul.