Israel’s parliament on Thursday approved a law protecting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the possibility of being rejected or found unfit to hold office while he stands trial on various corruption charges.
The law was approved after a long plenary session, with 61 votes in favor and 47 against, after heated discussions, which lasted all night, about the controversial judicial reform promoted by the Netanyahu government.
This reform has triggered widespread social protest, with demonstrations across the country for almost three months, and is seen as a threat to democracy as it reduces the independence of the judiciary and the supervisory powers of the Supreme Court.
The opposition has raised numerous objections to legislation it describes as “tailor-made” to protect Netanyahu, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.
The legislation explicitly prohibits the Supreme Court from ordering a prime minister to take a “leave of absence”.
Under the new law, only a three-quarters majority of the votes of government ministers, followed by ratification by the same proportion of MPs (at least 90 MPs), can compel a prime minister to take temporary leave, and only for mental reasons. or physical health.
The opposition leader, the centrist Yair Lapid, criticized the passage of the law and the members of the coalition, accusing them of behaving like “thieves in the night” who “passed a personal, obscene and corrupt law against an unfounded rumor of a possible refusal “.
An agreement reached with the Public Ministry in 2020, in the middle of the judicial process, defines that Netanyahu cannot get politically involved in legislation that affects the Judiciary and, therefore, cannot promote or vote on the laws that make up the judicial reform.
The reform seeks to give the government full control over the appointment of judges, including Supreme Court judges, which could have a direct impact on a possible appeal of the verdict in the ongoing trial, as well as including a controversial “annulment clause “than allowing parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions.
Last month, Israel’s attorney general’s office, Baharav-Miara, indicated that it opposed the refusal law because it would drastically reduce the circumstances in which a prime minister could be ordered to suspend office. And he warned that the proposal would create a legal “black hole.”
Supporters of the changes argue that they are meant to protect the will of voters from the excessive reach of the courts, but critics counter that the proposal removes laws designed to prevent public officials from using authority for personal gain.
The coalition is pushing to pass a second law to prevent the court from reviewing ministerial appointments, paving the way for the return of ultra-Orthodox Shas religious party leader Aryeh Deri as interior and health minister.
In January, the Supreme Court of Israel had rejected the candidacy of Deri, who accumulates several convictions for corruption, and after a previous agreement, which prevented the politician from holding public office.
Source: TSF
