The government says its plan is a much-needed reform to curb the influence of an overreaching judiciary; critics say it will undermine the country’s democratic institutions.
Aryeh Deri, who has a conviction for tax fraud, was deemed unfit to serve in the government, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a legal and political predicament.
The Israeli prime minister has yet to uphold a decision by the Supreme Court that a key government minister convicted of tax fraud should be dismissed.