Netanyahu celebrates ‘great day’; Lapid tells coalition: ‘History will judge you’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrates the coalition’s success passing the first bills in its judicial overhaul in their first Knesset reading. The bills need to return to committee for revisions, then go through two more Knesset readings before becoming law.

Passing the bills in their first reading marks a major milestone in the coalition’s contentious plan to subvert the judiciary to the governing coalition.

“A great night and a great day,” Netanyahu says on Twitter.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid says, “Coalition members — history will judge you for tonight. For the damage to democracy, for the damage to the economy, for the damage to security, for you tearing apart the nation of Israel and that you just don’t care.”

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz, a key figure in the opposition, says, “A black night for democracy. Tomorrow morning we continue the struggle.”

Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich tweets a picture of his party members holding campaign posters that say “law and justice.”

“What you vote for is what you get,” Smotrich says.

Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar Ben Gvir says “the majority is happy.”