Israeli high court ruling could determine Netanyahu’s future

JERUSALEM — With the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the line, Israel’s Supreme Court began discussions Sunday on the question of whether the embattled leader can form a new government while facing criminal indictments.

The court’s decision, expected this week, is shaping up as a watershed moment in Israeli history.

A ruling preventing Netanyahu from returning for another term would almost certainly trigger a fourth consecutive election in just over a year and draw angry reactions from Netanyahu’s supporters accusing the court of inappropriate political meddling. A ruling in favor will be seen by critics as further weakening the country’s fragile democratic institutions and a victory for a prime minister bent on escaping prosecution.

“The High Court of Justice is facing its most important verdict ever,” former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a staunch critic of Netanyahu’s, wrote in the Haaretz daily.

The court challenge comes in the wake of Netanyahu’s agreement last month to form an “emergency”

government with his rival, Benny Gantz.

Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals in which he is accused of offering favors to media moguls in exchange for favorable press coverage. Netanyahu denies the accusations.

In Sunday’s proceedings, the court heard arguments on whether an indicted politician can be given authority to form a new government. On Monday, the justices will look at whether the coalition agreement violated the law.