Israel’s governing coalition is preparing to submit an amendment to the Basic Law that will prevent judicial review of ministerial appointments, which would allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reappoint Shas leader Aryeh Deri, disqualified by the Supreme Court, as head of the Interior and Health.
The coalition’s proposal states that «there will be no judicial review at any level of the courts on any matter connected with, or arising from, the appointment of a minister to remove him from office, regardless of whether the appointment meets the conditions of sections 6a and 6c (of the Basic Law).»
Thus, it emphasizes that the appointment and removal of ministers «is at the heart of democratic activity», so it should not be subject to the decision of the courts, considering that it «creates uncertainty about the fulfillment of the wishes of the voters», as reported by the Israeli newspaper ‘The Jerusalem Post’.
Netanyahu was forced to dismiss Deri after the Supreme Court ruled that he was ineligible to hold the post because he was convicted of fraud, after parliamentarians from Shas and other coalition parties called for the court’s decision to be ignored.
Likud and Shas agreed to Deri’s appointment as one of the conditions for the prime minister to have the crucial support of this party, including a commitment to amend existing legislation to remove potential obstacles. The amendment, known as the ‘Deri Law’, was passed to amend the Basic Law, which prevented those with suspended sentences from holding ministerial positions.
Netanyahu himself is on trial for several corruption cases, although he has rejected the accusations and has spoken of a «witch hunt» and «judicial coup d’état». ‘Bibi’, who has managed to assemble a new government after the November legislative elections, is accused of receiving bribes, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
