Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is speeding up efforts to implement its right-wing agenda as elections loom, with Israel’s Supreme Court saying a recent government decision to ignore its rulings jeopardise “social order” and could lead to anarchy.The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, advanced controversial legislation on Monday, such as bills to allow gender-segregation in higher education institutions and to set up a politically appointed inquiry into the October 7 attacks. The Knesset is due to dissolve next week, ahead of elections that must be held by the end of October. Both pieces of legislation drew strong criticism from the opposition. During votes on the education bill, which would allow gender-segregation of master's and doctoral students, opposition politicians held up mock segregation signs. Protesters stage a demonstration outside Israel's parliament on July 2 to mark 1,000 days since the deadly Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. ReutersInfoThe opposition boycotted the October 7 inquiry bill entirely, meaning it passed 59-0 in the 120-member chamber. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has criticised the legislation, saying it was “tailor made” for the government’s political objectives. Opposition parties have long called for an apolitical state commission of inquiry into the security disaster. The government also won a vote to split legislation that would weaken the power of the Attorney General, who oversees state prosecution and legal units to represent the government, among other responsibilities.The government reportedly split the legislation so that a simpler version of the bill can be passed before the dissolution of the Knesset. Passage of the new bill, which is advancing following reports of an agreement between the Prime Minister and ultra-Orthodox parties, would mean that the government would no longer be bound by rulings from the Attorney General, which critics say is an undemocratic weakening of Israel’s judiciary. The push to pass the bills comes as government ministers double down on their criticism of the Supreme Court, days after the government said it would ignore a ruling by the court. Justice Minister Yariv Levin compared the Supreme Court’s judges to “dictators”. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Israeli civil servants to ignore “mafia-like threats” from judges. “The message to the judges this morning is very clear: in a democracy, public servants are subordinate to the elected representatives of the public, in accordance with the law,” Mr Ben-Gvir wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. “If the High Court judges are dissatisfied with our policy, they are welcome to run for office at the ballot box. Only the people decide.”Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against the arrests of men from the community for dodging conscription, near the Bet Lid military prison in central Israel. AFPInfoFinance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Supreme Court's actions were “reminiscent of a protection racket collector”. “What's the next stage? Envelopes with bullets to government offices? A horse's head in the bed? A bottle of gasoline on the cars of elected officials?,” he wrote on X.“Extortion through threats is a criminal offence that requires a police investigation. No one is above the law, not even [Supreme Court President] Yitzhak Amit and Gali Baharav-Miara. We'll smash this protection racket too. At the ballot box.”The posts came after the Supreme Court issued a statement saying that “the obligation to comply with and respect court judgments is among the fundamental conditions upon which the rule of law in a democratic state is founded”.“Without compliance with court rulings, the principle of the rule of law is undermined, and social order disintegrates.”