ISRAEL’S Supreme Court today opened the first case to look at the legality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul.

The move by Mr Netanyahu’s far-right government has bitterly divided Israel, placing the country in a deep constitutional crisis.

In a sign of the case’s significance, all 15 of Israel’s Supreme Court justices are hearing appeals to the law together for the first time in Israel’s history. 

Susie Navot, vice-president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank that has been critical of the overhaul, said: “It’s a historic day. This is the first time we’ve had this kind of hearing.”

Mr Netanyahu’s coalition, a collection of ultra-nationalist and ultra-religious lawmakers, launched the overhaul early this year, saying that the country’s unelected judiciary wields too much power. 

Critics say that the overhaul removes a key safeguard and will concentrate power in the hands of Mr Netanyahu and his far-right allies.

The hearing today puts the country’s senior justices in the unprecedented position of deciding whether to accept limits to their own powers. 

The hearing is focusing on the first law passed by parliament in July which would cancel the court’s ability to strike down government decisions it deems to be “unreasonable.” 

Judges have used the legal standard in the past to prevent government decisions viewed as unsound or corrupt.

Late on Monday, tens of thousands of Israeli protesters crowded around the Supreme Court, waving national flags and chanting against the government.

In a statement ahead of today’s hearing, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin said that the court “lacks all authority” to review the law, insisting that lawmakers elected by the public should have the final say over the legislation.

Mr Levin has hinted that the government could ignore the court’s decision if it went against the government, a move that would deepen the constitutional crisis in Israel.