Benjamin Netanyahu suffers rebellion in vote linked to Israeli judicial overhaul

Political chaos leaves prime minister in weakened position as he pursues controversial changes

A rebellion by members of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's government in an important vote related to controversial judicial changes has dealt the longtime leader a political setback, bringing divisions in his coalition to the fore and scuppering compromise talks with the opposition.

The Knesset was expected on Wednesday to elect two political representatives to the country's nine-member judicial selection committee, one of the key issues in the six-month-old debate over the nature of Israeli democracy, and a vote widely viewed as a referendum on the overhaul's future.