Israel’s parliament approved Monday a law that would curb the oversight powers of the courts, a measure that has divided the country and prompted mass protests.

Tens of thousands of protesters converged on the Knesset building where the vote took place. Opposition lawmakers boycotted, allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition to pass the bill with 64 votes to 0.

Advocates of the law, which curtails the ability of the courts to overrule government decisions and appointments, argue that the judiciary has grown too powerful and is controlled by the left.

But the plan has drawn fierce opposition from a broad swath of Israel’s establishment, from tech entrepreneurs to military reservists, who say it’ll undermine the country’s democratic checks, economy and rule of law.

Critics also worry that Netanyahu, who is fighting a long-running fraud and bribery case, will use a weakened judiciary to avoid jail time.

The unprecedented standoff over the change has come to represent a broader battle over Israel’s identity and what it means to be a Jewish democracy. Opponents fear the law is the first step toward a religious autocracy, while supporters sett it as permitting their once-marginalized voices to be heard.

There was little sign that Monday’s vote would end the crisis. The government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, has indicated that it will push ahead with a broader package of changes that have alarmed investors.

“This is the first step in a historical process,” said Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the judicial overhaul.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said he planned to appeal to the High Court to overturn the law. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a watchdog, tweeted that it had already filed a petition.

“The battle isn’t over, it is only beginning,” Lapid said in broadcast comments. “This is greatest and most dangerous national crisis that we have ever had to deal with.”

Lapid asked the more than 10,000 reservists and 1,200 pilots from the air force who have threatened to suspend service over the law to wait until the court decision. He also warned that every citizen will feel the result of the decision on their pocketbooks.

On Monday reports of a compromise strengthened the shekel, but those gains reversed after the vote. The currency fell 0.6% to 3.65 per dollar as of 4:22 p.m. Israel time, making it one of the worst performers among a basket of major units tracked by Bloomberg.

—With assistance from Marissa Newman and Alisa Odenheimer.