Israel judicial reforms: Knesset passes law shielding Netanyahu from being removed amid protests over judicial changes

(CNN) On Thursday, Israeli opposition politicians slammed a new law restricting how a sitting prime minister can be declared unfit for the job, criticizing it as a way to protect Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an ongoing corruption trial. widely viewed by

Labor leader Merav Michaeli also said Israeli protests against the government’s controversial series of judicial reforms and subsequent warnings from Washington must be a “red flag” for Netanyahu. .

By a final vote of 61 to 47, the Knesset approved a bill that only the Prime Minister himself or his Cabinet, with a two-thirds majority, could declare a leader unfit. The cabinet vote must then be ratified by a supermajority in parliament.

Furthermore, “the power to declare the Prime Minister incapacitated belongs only to the government or the Knesset and only arises because of physical or mental incapacity,” the Knesset statement said Thursday.

The bill also prevents the Supreme Court from considering “a request to declare the prime minister incompetent.”

“Given that the incumbent prime minister derives his power and authority from the people through their representatives, this proposal would not be possible without the existing government that the removal of a leader against his will would be decided solely by the representatives of the people without the involvement of the government. It reflects the concept of an unelected arm,” the statement said.

That comes a day after the Israeli ambassador to the United States was subpoenaed over a vote in the Knesset on Tuesday to overturn a 2005 law that previously ordered the evacuation of four Israeli settlements previously established in the northern West Bank. That was it.

Israel’s prime minister’s office later confirmed that despite the abolition, no new settlements would be established in areas previously evacuated under the 2005 Liberation Act.

In a statement, the prime minister’s office said parliament’s “decision to repeal parts of the Separation Act was discriminatory and humiliating, which prohibited Jews from living in the northern region of Samaria, part of their historic homeland.” We will put an end to this law,” he said. Some biblical names for the West Bank.

“But the government has no intention of establishing new settlements in these areas.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which treats the area as a closed military zone off-limits to Israeli civilians, said it was “learning the implications of the bill and will act in accordance with the law.” No changes to this area will be made without IDF approval.

Under international law, the West Bank is considered occupied territory and settlements are considered illegal, which Israel disputes.

In an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson on Wednesday, Labor leader Michaeli said: To save not only Israeli democracy and the State of Israel, but also our relationship with the United States.

“I hope that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take action as soon as possible and not allow US-Israel relations to reach a point where it is dangerous for Israel and not good for the region,” she said. .

Michaeli said he opposed the bill, calling it a “very harmful and very dangerous decision”. “One of the driving forces behind this judicial coup they are now passing is the settlers who have wanted to overthrow Israel’s Supreme Court for years because they want to be able to do anything in the West Bank. They want to,” she added.

The opposition Israeli leader emphasized her party’s historic support for the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who signed the Oslo Accords with then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. paid tribute to She said Labor knew how the West Bank conflict was “inextricably linked” to judicial reform.

Opposition parties condemn legislation

Opposition lawmakers have announced plans to challenge a law restricting how a sitting prime minister can be declared unfit before the Supreme Court. law,” and ultimately said Netanyahu was “thinking only of himself.”

“Like thieves of the night, the coalition passed a dishonorable, corrupt and personalized law in response to baseless rumors about denial. Every citizen of Israel should know – Passover Just a few days before the festival, while the cost of living has skyrocketed, Netanyahu is watching again…going out just for himself,” Rapid said Thursday.

Michaeli said the law passed was “a shameful and dishonorable law aimed at preventing Netanyahu from being sent to prison.”

“This is all the coalition and this government are doing, a personal legislative and regime coup. They are sacrificing the state of Israel to settle under a corrupt government,” she said. rice field.

Netanyahu’s new far-right government is pursuing a controversial plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system by undermining the Supreme Court and undermining judicial oversight of policy-making.

Netanyahu, the first sitting Israeli prime minister to appear in court as a defendant, faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. he denies wrongdoing.

Despite the ongoing trial, Netanyahu agreed to a conflict of interest declaration as part of his deal with the court to serve as prime minister. The attorney general later ruled that the declaration meant Netanyahu could not be involved in judicial reform decision-making. A petition to declare has been filed with the Israeli Supreme Court.

For months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have regularly taken to the streets to protest the overhaul, saying it undermines Israeli democracy. They are joined by senior Israeli security, high-tech, financial and academic officials.