Israel’s Supreme Court hears case against a law protecting Netanyahu from being removed from office

Israel’s Supreme Court held a hearing to address a petition challenging a law that shields Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from being removed from office in light of his ongoing corruption trial and conflict of interest allegations. The law, passed by Netanyahu’s governing coalition in March, restricts the grounds for removing a prime minister to cases of medical or mental incapacitation. This law has drawn criticism, with opponents arguing that it was designed specifically to protect Netanyahu and promote corruption.

As judges considered the petition presented by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a small group of protestors gathered outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem. According to the law passed earlier in the year, only the premier or the government has the authority to decide if a prime minister is unfit for office due to health or mental reasons, excluding the attorney general from making such a determination.

At present, Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery in three separate cases. Concurrently, Netanyahu and his allies are pushing for a series of judicial overhaul bills that would reduce the Supreme Court’s power and grant the ruling coalition control over the appointment of judges. This move has sparked widespread protests in an increasingly divided Israel, with opponents expressing concerns that it would centralize power within the executive branch and erode existing checks and balances.

Proponents of the judicial reforms, including Netanyahu and his allies, assert that these changes are essential to address what they view as an overly activist court consisting of unelected judges. As the Supreme Court ponders the case against the law protecting Netanyahu, the timeline for its decision remains uncertain.

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