Critics say the law is designed to protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who faces a series of corruption charges
23 March 2023 - 13:57
byDan Williams
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Police detain a demonstrator during the "Day of Shutdown" protest, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel March 23, 2023. REUTERS/RONEN ZVULUN
Jerusalem — Israeli lawmakers ratified a law on Thursday that limits the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed, despite concerns by a government jurist that it may be meant to shield the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu from any fallout from his corruption trials.
The amended definition for the “incapacity” of national leaders is among legislative measures by the religious-nationalist coalition that have tipped Israel into crisis, with the opposition arguing that judicial independence is in peril.
The coalition says the overhaul is aimed at pushing back against over-reach by the supreme court and restoring balance among branches of government.
By a 61-to-47 final vote, the Knesset approved the bill under which prime ministers can be deemed unfit — and compelled to step aside — if they or three-quarters of cabinet ministers declare them so on physical or psychological grounds.
The stipulations fleshed out a quasi-constitutional “basic law” that provides the government with guidance in the event of a non-functioning prime minister — but which previously lacked details on circumstances that may give rise to such situations.
According to the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute, the rule had earlier left Netanyahu vulnerable to a possible assertion of his incapacity by attorney-general Gali Baharav-Miara, should she perceive an attempt by him to halt his three court cases.
The new law precludes this, the institute’s senior researcher Amir Fuchs said, though he considered such a finding by Baharav-Miara to be an unlikely “extreme case”.
Netanyahu denies all charges against him, and has cast the trials as a politicised bid to force him from office.
Baharav-Miara — who was appointed by the former, centrist Israeli government — said last month that Netanyahu must stay out of his coalition’s push for a judicial overhaul because of what she deemed a conflict of interest arising from his trials.
Baharav-Miara’s deputy, Gil Limon, voiced misgivings over the incapacity bill during a Knesset review session on Tuesday.
“What we see before our eyes is a cluster of legislation elements that are most troubling and are being advanced at great speed,” Limon said.
“They have the potential to serve the personal interests of a man regarding the outcomes of legal proceedings he is facing.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Israel’s parliament confirms judicial overhaul
Critics say the law is designed to protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who faces a series of corruption charges
Jerusalem — Israeli lawmakers ratified a law on Thursday that limits the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed, despite concerns by a government jurist that it may be meant to shield the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu from any fallout from his corruption trials.
The amended definition for the “incapacity” of national leaders is among legislative measures by the religious-nationalist coalition that have tipped Israel into crisis, with the opposition arguing that judicial independence is in peril.
The coalition says the overhaul is aimed at pushing back against over-reach by the supreme court and restoring balance among branches of government.
By a 61-to-47 final vote, the Knesset approved the bill under which prime ministers can be deemed unfit — and compelled to step aside — if they or three-quarters of cabinet ministers declare them so on physical or psychological grounds.
The stipulations fleshed out a quasi-constitutional “basic law” that provides the government with guidance in the event of a non-functioning prime minister — but which previously lacked details on circumstances that may give rise to such situations.
According to the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute, the rule had earlier left Netanyahu vulnerable to a possible assertion of his incapacity by attorney-general Gali Baharav-Miara, should she perceive an attempt by him to halt his three court cases.
The new law precludes this, the institute’s senior researcher Amir Fuchs said, though he considered such a finding by Baharav-Miara to be an unlikely “extreme case”.
Netanyahu denies all charges against him, and has cast the trials as a politicised bid to force him from office.
Baharav-Miara — who was appointed by the former, centrist Israeli government — said last month that Netanyahu must stay out of his coalition’s push for a judicial overhaul because of what she deemed a conflict of interest arising from his trials.
Baharav-Miara’s deputy, Gil Limon, voiced misgivings over the incapacity bill during a Knesset review session on Tuesday.
“What we see before our eyes is a cluster of legislation elements that are most troubling and are being advanced at great speed,” Limon said.
“They have the potential to serve the personal interests of a man regarding the outcomes of legal proceedings he is facing.”
Reuters
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