Israeli lawmakers pass key judicial overhaul bill despite opposition boycott

JERUSALEM - Israeli lawmakers passed on Monday a key bill of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious plan to overhaul the country's judicial system.

Ahead of the vote, all 56 opposition lawmakers tore apart copies of the bill and chanted "Shame!" before leaving the chamber in protest.

Addressing the Israeli parliament after the vote, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a main sponsor of the overhaul plan, hailed the move as "the first step in the historical process of correcting the judicial system and returning powers to the government."

Outside the parliament building, thousands of protesters rallied, waving Israeli flags. Police tried to disperse them with water cannons and said in a statement that at least 19 were arrested.

In the wake of the vote, more protests broke out in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where people blocked portions of the Ayalon Highway, Israel's main intercity freeway.

The vote was approved despite a nationwide protest against the overhaul for 29 consecutive weeks. The coalition government, which is composed of far-right and ultra-religious parties and took office in late December, also ignored calls to halt the bill by business leaders, legal experts, and even the United States, Israel's closest ally.

More than 11,000 military reservists, including pilots, warned they will not go into the services if the bill is approved, raising concerns among military officials that the country's military preparedness could be affected.

The law cancels the Supreme Court's power to override decisions by the ministers that it deems "unreasonable" and is a key part of Netanyahu's divisive plan to weaken the Supreme Court and reshape the legal system.