justice
New law in Israel protects Netanyahu from impeachment
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, wants to make himself unassailable with a new law. photo
© Abir Sultan/Pool EPA/AP
The planned judicial reform has been drawing tens of thousands of people to the streets of Israel in protest for weeks. One detail is particularly piquant: it is tailor-made for the head of government.
In Israel, it will be much more difficult in the future to declare a prime minister incapable of office. The parliament in Jerusalem passed a corresponding amendment to the law on Thursday after a late-night debate. In the last reading, 61 of the 120 MEPs voted in favour. 47 MPs were against, the others were absent or abstained. If the law is not stopped by the judiciary, a three-quarters majority would be required for impeachment in the future.
This is the first change in the law as part of a highly controversial judicial reform by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing religious government, which was finally approved by parliament. The opposition condemned the new law as “indecent and corrupt”. The opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman announced that he would take action before the Supreme Court.
The change is particularly controversial because it is seen as personally tailored to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his needs. A corruption process has been going on against the 73-year-old for a long time. In the future, a prime minister could only be removed from office for mental or other health reasons. This is intended to prevent the Supreme Court or the Attorney General’s Office from influencing matters.
In Israel there have been violent protests against the planned weakening of the judiciary for around three months. Efforts to find a compromise have so far been unsuccessful. There are increasing warnings that the country is heading towards a state crisis. Protests were also planned for Thursday.
Times of Israel report