Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has experienced a drop in his poll ratings after his hard-right coalition approved a contentious judicial law. Survey results published on Tuesday indicate that if an election were held at the present moment, Netanyahu’s governing coalition would see its number of seats decline from 64 to 52 or 53. Similarly, his Likud party’s seats would decrease from 32 to 28 or even as low as 25.
The approved law, which limits some powers of the Supreme Court, was ratified on Monday despite facing opposition and mass protests. This legislation is part of a broader plan to overhaul the judiciary, which has sparked both domestic protests and international concern.
According to a recent poll, Netanyahu received an approval rating of only 38 per cent, with a majority of Israelis expressing a desire for the judicial plan to either be entirely scrapped or negotiated with the opposition. Less than a quarter of respondents showed support for the legislative package.
The United States has urged Netanyahu to pursue broad agreements on judicial reforms and characterized Monday’s legislation as “unfortunate.” However, Netanyahu’s coalition contends that the Supreme Court’s political interventions have become excessive and that the new law will prevent the court from overturning government and ministerial decisions. The situation remains politically charged, with the implications of the judicial law continuing to draw attention and debate both domestically and internationally.