Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was dealt a serious blow by his nation’s Supreme Court, even as Israel dealt a serious blow to Hamas.

From CBS News. Israel’s Supreme Court struck down part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial overhaul on Monday, a move that could exacerbate political tension in the country as it changes its footing in the war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The judicial overhauls sparked months of protests after Netanyahu took office for a new term as prime minister a year ago.

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With its ruling, Israel’s highest court overturned a law passed in July that prevented Supreme Court judges from overruling government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. The law was the first major part of the controversial plan by Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government to curb the judicial branch’s power and give more authority to the national legislature.

The measures drew accusations from Israel’s political opposition that Netanyahu was deliberately eroding the country’s democratic system of checks and balances — right as he faced multiple personal legal battles over alleged corruption. The war with Hamas, sparked by the militant group’s unprecedented Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel, united the country, but did not resolve the underlying division stoked by Netanyahu’s formation of the country’s most far-right government ever last year. …

The Israeli Supreme Court’s landmark decision to strike down part of Netanyahu’s planned judicial overhaul could reopen the fissures in Israeli society that preceded the war against Hamas.

The plan sparked months of mass protests and rattled the cohesion of Israel’s military. Those divisions were largely put aside after Oct. 7.

Benny Gantz, a rival of Netanyahu’s who joined the three-member War Cabinet, called on all sides to put aside their differences and focus on the war. “These are not days for political arguments. There are no winners and losers today,” he said.

In Monday’s decision, the court narrowly voted to overturn a law that prevents judges from striking down government decisions they deem “unreasonable.” The law passed in July was the first part of the government’s plan to curb the authority of unelected judges. …

From Axios. The fact Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a drone strike on Tuesday likely didn’t surprise many. Al-Arouri himself had long expected to be killed.

The big picture: The 57-year-old was one of the most wanted men in the Middle East, with close ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hezbollah. …

• Al-Arouri was a target for Israel for years, but it hesitated to try to kill him in Istanbul and later in Beirut in order not to harm relations with Turkey and avoid provoking Hezbollah from starting a war, Israeli officials said.
• But after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and killed at least 1,200 people according to Israeli officials, Israel was ready to take more risks. …

Background: Al-Arouri was from a village near Ramallah and helped found Hamas’ military wing — Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He spent 15 years in Israeli prison before being deported to Jordan in 2010. Soon after, he was deported to Syria but had to leave for Turkey as a result of the rift between Hamas and the Assad regime.

• While in Turkey, al-Arouri established the West Bank headquarters of Hamas, which is in charge of recruiting operatives and planning attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. …

Two of the Hamas members who were killed with al-Arouri in Beirut were the commanders of Hamas’ military wing in Lebanon, which in recent months conducted attacks against Israeli outposts on the border.

• Al-Arouri was also the point person in Hamas for military coordination with Hezbollah and with Iran’s Quds force.

Zoom out: The killing of al-Arouri is a major blow to Hamas. He’s the most senior Hamas leader who has been killed since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

• But Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh tried to play down the impact on Tuesday, saying in a televised address that like the previous assassinations of its members, the organization’s operation won’t be influenced. …

As political tensions flare and terrorist leaders fall, over 100 hostages remain in terrorist captivity. Share your prayers for Israel and the hostages below.

(Excerpts from CBS News and Axios. Photo Credit: President.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)