Constitutional crisis on cards as supreme court justices are asked to consider curbing their own powers

Israel’s supreme court has begun hearing challenges to the first plank of the far-right and ultra-religious government’s wide-ranging changes to the judiciary passed by the Knesset in July: abolishing the court’s power to overrule government decisions.

A full-blown constitutional crisis is now on the cards as the justices weigh in on legislation curbing their own powers, while government ministers have indicated they will not comply with any ruling striking the law down.

Roars and cries from demonstrators as bill passes 64-0 after opposition politicians leave plenum in protest

• Explained: what is the vote about and what happens next?

Israel’s far-right, ultra-religious government has succeeded in passing a key part of the coalition’s judicial overhaul, seven months after introducing the legislation, in the face of widespread, sustained opposition from protesters.

The bill abolishing the “reasonableness” clause that allows Israel’s unelected supreme court to overrule government decisions was passed into law by a final vote of 64-0 in parliament on Monday. Every member of the coalition voted in favour, while opposition lawmakers abandoned the Knesset plenum in protest, shouting “Shame!” as they left.

PM recovering from pacemaker operation amid street protests over judicial overhaul plan and Biden call to scrap vote

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has arrived at parliament for a key vote related to his government’s bitterly contested judicial overhaul, only hours after being discharged from hospital after an emergency heart procedure.

Thousands of demonstrators who marched from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last week remained camped out outside the Knesset on Monday before two votes on the plenum floor, in which the “reasonableness” clause allowing the supreme court to overrule government decisions is expected to be abolished.

Knesset races to pass bill eliminating ‘reasonableness’ standard before summer recess

Israelis are bracing for a turbulent week of protests and potential strike action as the country’s governing coalition races to pass a key component of its wide-ranging judicial overhaul before the parliamentary summer recess.

The Knesset’s constitution, justice and law committee on Monday discussed sending a bill eliminating the “reasonableness” standard that allows the supreme court to overrule government decisions back to the plenum for its second reading.

Israeli prime minister fitted with monitoring device after being kept overnight with dehydration

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been discharged from hospital after heart monitoring tests showed no irregularities during an overnight admission for dehydration.

Netanyahu, 73, was taken to hospital near his private residence in the coastal town of Caesarea on Saturday afternoon after complaining of dizziness and kept overnight for observation, his office said.

Israeli prime minister, 73, thought to be suffering from dehydration and is undergoing medical tests in hospital near Tel Aviv

Benjamin Netanyahu has said he “feels very good” after being taken to a Tel Aviv hospital for what doctors determined was likely to be dehydration.

Israel’s prime minister issued a video statement hours after he was hospitalised. In the statement, Netanyahu said he had been out in the sun on Friday without a hat and without water. “Not a good idea,” he said.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition wins first of three votes required for controversial changes to become law

Tens of thousands of Israeli demonstrators have blocked motorways across the country and access to Tel Aviv’s airport as part of a “day of disruption” in protest at the government’s renewed push to advance legislation overhauling the judiciary.

In the first of three readings on Monday night, Israel’s parliament – in which the governing coalition headed by the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, holds 64 of 120 seats – voted in favour of a bill scrapping the “reasonableness” standard that allows the supreme court to overrule government decisions.

Israeli PM says he has thrown out controversial measure to allow parliament to override supreme court decisions

A surprise announcement from Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that one of the most controversial elements of his government’s proposed judicial overhaul will be dropped, has angered his coalition partners and failed to placate protesters opposed to the plans.

“The idea of an override clause, where the parliament, the Knesset, can override the decisions of the supreme court with a simple majority, I said, I threw that out … It’s out,” Netanyahu said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Thursday.