JERUSALEM, March 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's parliament passed a controversial law on Thursday granting elected officials more power in appointing judges, a move swiftly challenged by the opposition.

The legislation was approved by a vote of 67 in favour and one against, with the opposition boycotting the early-morning session.

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has 120 lawmakers.

The vote reflects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's determination to push ahead with his contentious judicial reform plan, which sparked one of the largest protest movements in Israel's history in 2023 before being overtaken by the war in Gaza.

The war began following the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

The vote comes as the government is locked in a standoff with the supreme court after beginning proceedings to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The opposition, along with thousands of demonstrators protesting daily in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, strongly opposes these government decisions and the judicial reform plan, viewing them as signs of Netanyahu's authoritarian shift toward an illiberal democracy.

Yair Lapid, leader of the centre-right Yesh Atid party, announced on social media platform X that he had filed an appeal with the supreme court against the law on behalf of several opposition parties, just minutes after the parliamentary vote.

According to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who sponsored the bill, the measure was intended to "restore balance" between the legislative and judicial branches.

Currently, judges -- including supreme court justices -- are selected by a nine-member committee comprising judges, lawmakers, and bar association representatives, under the justice minister's supervision.