Israel’s AG accuses Netanyahu of breaking the law
Israel's attorney-general on Friday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of breaking the law by ignoring a conflict of interest over his ongoing trial for corruption and getting directly involved in his government's judicial overhaul plan.
In the face of intensifying protests against the proposed changes, which would weaken the Supreme Court, Netanyahu said on Thursday he was putting aside all other considerations and would do "anything it takes" to reach a solution.
The letter from Attorney-general Gali Baharav-miara added to the headwinds facing the plans, which have caused a deep split in Israeli society, bringing tens of thousands of protesters to the streets, alarming the business establishment and opening cracks in the right-wing coalition itself.
On Thursday, after media reports that Defence Minister Yoav Gallant would call for the plans to be halted, Netanyahu summoned his defence chief who outlined the potential impact of the overhaul on the armed forces, where growing numbers of reservists have declared they will not serve.
However Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges that he denies, has pushed ahead, declaring in a televised address on Thursday that he would try to pass a central part of the package next week.
On Thursday, the Knesset amended a law to limit the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed from office but Baharav-miara said Netanyahu had to stay out of the judicial overhaul package, which has been handled by Justice Minister Yariv Levin.
"The legal situation is clear: you must refrain from any involvement in initiatives to change the judiciary," she wrote. "Your statement last night and any action you take in violation of this matter is illegal," Baharav-miara said.
The letter followed Baharavmiara's earlier warnings 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.