What Are the 13 Basic Laws?

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There are 13 basic laws in Israel that relate to equality, equal treatment and human dignity. The Supreme Court has overturned some of the government's policies on issues such as refugee camps for African refugees. There have been a lot of times like that where the agenda of the right is to be tough on about the border or spread settlements. So there's a whole bunch of things in which it is felt by the right but the legal establishment has kind of taken over a lot of politically sensitive issues through the law because they can't win at the ballot box.

For months, Israeli citizens—including CEOs, doctors, hedge fund executives, lawyers, and soldiers—have protested in the streets against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to diminish the authority of the nation’s Supreme Court. The government aims to give Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, the power to overrule the court’s decisions with a simple majority vote. It could have far-reaching consequences within Israel—and for its standing as a strong democracy in a volatile region of the world.

Bloomberg’s Israel Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner joins this episode from Tel Aviv to talk about what’s at stake—and why so many Israelis from all walks of life are demanding Netanyahu withdraw the plan.