When a forgotten explosives cache blew up in June on an Israeli site earmarked for a beachfront apartment complex, it left a big crater but caused little other damage because the Supreme Court had prevented any building work from ever starting. The court blocked construction on the site of a former munitions factory over what it saw as shortcomings in an official environmental survey, after petitioners sought a ruling based on a clause that gave Israeli judges power to step in when actions by the government or ministers were deemed unreasonable. The Supreme Court may not find it so easy to act in future after the Israeli government's judicial overhaul, which has sparked protests at home and criticism from Western allies abroad.