Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday overturned a law passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government that limited the Supreme Court’s powers and sparked mass protests across the country.

The law was part of a broader judicial reform proposed by Netanyahu and his coalition of religious and nationalist partners that has deeply divided Israel and raised concerns among Western allies about the state of democracy.

The court’s decision on Monday made headlines in Israel’s newspapers, which have been dominated by the war with Hamas in recent months.

The law passed by judges on Monday was one of the tools available to the Supreme Court to overturn decisions by the government and ministers.

The rejected law eliminates the possibility of the court to cancel such decisions that it considers “unfounded”.

Eight of the 15 judges ruled in favor of repealing the law, the court said.

Netanyahu’s Likud party said the decision was unfortunate and contradicted “the people’s desire for unity, especially in times of war.” Opposition lawmakers praised the decision.

The Supreme Court, in a brief explanation of the reasons for its decision, explained that the majority of judges decided to strike down the law because it would cause serious damage to Israel’s democracy.

Protesters in Israel have blocked major highways and clashed with police this year in a series of large-scale demonstrations against controversial judicial reforms being pushed by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.