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WORLD NEWS Thursday 19 January 2023

Israeli high court: Netanyahu must fire key Cabinet

ally

By TIA GOLDENBERG and
LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) — Isra-
el’s Supreme Court ruled
Wednesday that Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanya-
hu must fire a key ally from
the country’s new Cabinet,
presenting the Israeli lead-
er with a potential coali-
tion crisis and deepening
a rift over the power of the
courts.
Ten of 11 judges on the
high court found that
Aryeh Deri, the influential
head of the ultra-Orthodox
Shas party who has served
repeatedly in Netanyahu’s
previous governments, is
disqualified from serving
as a minister after he was
convicted last year for tax Member of Knesset Aryeh Deri attends a special session of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in
offenses and placed on Jerusalem on Dec. 29, 2022.
probation as part of a plea Associated Press
deal. Deri has pledged not
to quit and met after the decried the ruling as a slap tion among politicians. and far-right partners cap-
ruling with Netanyahu. at voters after the Nov. 1 The ruling carries potentially tured a majority of seats in
“Most of the judges on the election. In a statement, troublesome consequenc- the Knesset, or parliament,
panel decided that this ap- they vowed to act “in any es for Netanyahu’s coali- in Nov. 1 elections, and
pointment suffers from ex- legal way that is available tion. Some Shas members formed a government that
treme unreasonability, and to us and without delay have urged Netanyahu to has made changing the le-
therefore the prime minister to correct the injustice find a solution that would gal system a centerpiece
must remove Deri from his and the severe damage grant Deri the title they say of its agenda.
position,” the court said in caused to the democratic he deserves as head of Public opinion polls have
a statement. choice and the sovereign- a mid-sized party. Other- shown most Israelis oppose
The much-anticipated rul- ty of the people.” wise, the party could bolt Deri serving as a govern-
ing comes as Israel is be- Dr. Amir Fuchs, senior re- the coalition, which would ment minister.
ing roiled by a dispute searcher at the Israel De- shrink Netanyahu’s 64-seat Still, the Deri ruling is only
over sweeping changes mocracy Institute, a Je- majority by 11 seats in the expected to deepen the
to the country’s legal sys- rusalem think tank, said 120-member Knesset. divide over the legal over-
tem. One such proposal Netanyahu is unlikely to Yakov Margi, a Shas Cabi- haul. It will be seen by both
under consideration is the ignore the ruling because net minister, told Kan pub- camps as an affirmation of
elimination of the court’s then he’d be in contempt lic radio that, “if Aryeh Deri their views: either that the
“reasonability” test when of court and there is no ap- isn’t in the government, courts, in determining who
reviewing government de- pealing a Supreme Court there isn’t a government.” can be a Cabinet minister,
cisions.Critics say the vari- decision. In a move that was seen as have too much power, or
ous changes at issue would “I am sure that he will abide crucial to bringing the gov- that judicial oversight can
place too much power in by the ruling. It doesn’t erning coalition together, hold back legislators from
the hands of the govern- mean that he will respect Israeli legislators last month questionable laws.
ment and weaken the Su- the ruling,” Fuchs said. changed a law that pro- “Today it’s clear that the
preme Court. Proponents “What will probably hap- hibited a convict on proba- court, which is not elected,
say they would correct pen is that they will do very tion from being a Cabinet is not interested in com-
a power imbalance be- quick legislation that will minister. promises and wants limit-
tween the executive and enable him to appoint Deri That cleared the way for less control over elected
judicial branches. again.” Deri to join the government officials,” National Secu-
Netanyahu will now have It’s not clear whether the but prompted the Supreme rity Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
to decide whether he proposed legal changes, Court challenge. said in a statement. “Re-
abides by the court ruling including a plan to allow Deri is currently serving half form now!”
and fires his key ally, Deri or lawmakers to overrule Su- a term as the minister of Opposition leader Yair La-
takes the dispute with the preme Court decisions, health and interior affairs. pid said that if Deri is not
judicial system up a notch could retroactively be ap- He was set to become fi- fired, “Israel will enter an
and defies it. A spokesman plied to Deri’s case. nance minister in the sec- unprecedented constitu-
for Netanyahu had no im- Critics said such a move ond half of the term and he tional crisis and it will no lon-
mediate comment. would bend the rules to ac- is also deputy prime minis- ger be a democracy and
But the leaders of the par- commodate a convict and ter. will not be a law-abiding
ties in the ruling coalition could encourage corrup- Likud and its ultra-Orthodox state.”q