Benjamin Netanyahu and Itamar Pengvir
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the appointment of a minister in the new government was illegal, after it received a lawsuit challenging that appointment.
According to the decision, the court asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove the head of the hardline religious Shas party, Aryeh Deri, from the government, as he was convicted of tax evasion.
My shield is in charge of the interior and health portfolios, and may lead to a court decision that could lead to undermining the most stringent coalition government in Israel’s history.
The decision came with a large majority among the judges, as it was supported by 10 of the 11 judges who make up the entire Supreme Court.
The summary of the ruling stated that the appointment of MK Aryeh Deri as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Health “cannot continue,” so “most judges decided that this appointment was deeply flawed and unacceptable, and accordingly, the Prime Minister must remove him from office.”
Deri was convicted in 2022 of tax evasion, but to avoid imprisonment, he reached an agreement with the court to plead guilty, pay a fine of 180,000 shekels ($50,000) and give up his seat in the Knesset.
image copyright AFP
Aryeh Deri, mediated by Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin
The court said, “When Deri reached an agreement with the Magistrate’s Court, which decided on his tax violations, he had to retire from political life.”
The ruling comes amid great tension in Israel, due to the government’s efforts to introduce amendments to the law regulating the work of the Supreme Court and the judicial system, which angered many.
Late last month, Israeli Knesset representatives approved a law that allows anyone convicted of a crime and has not been imprisoned to obtain a ministerial portfolio, while the law had previously prohibited this. It was clear that the law had been amended to benefit Representative Aryeh Deri.
More than 80,000 people turned out in a large demonstration in Tel Aviv to express their rejection of the law proposed by the government, which gives it broad powers over the judiciary.
Israel witnessed unprecedented political unrest in its history during the past four years, to the extent that general elections were held 5 times.
Netanyahu returned to the post of prime minister again last month, after he managed to form a coalition government, with a number of extremist parties.
Netanyahu, the most continuous prime minister in the history of the country, left office in 2021 after losing the elections, after 12 continuous years in power.
And 63 out of 120 parliamentarians voted in favor of Netanyahu’s government, which includes his Likud party and hard-line religious and far-right parties.
The heads of the participating parties in the government coalition denounced the court’s decision and expressed their shock and said, “We were shocked, pained, and saddened” by the decision, adding, “My armor’s exceptional capabilities and extensive experience are what Israel needs in these complex times more than ever,” according to what France Press reported.
The Shas movement, which is headed by Deri, said in a statement: “The Supreme Court, which claims to care for minorities, threw in the garbage today the votes of 400,000 voters from the Shas movement, which represents the dispossessed in Israel, and which won 11 seats” in the Knesset in the last elections.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin described the decision as “ridiculous,” because it nullified the votes of most Israelis who voted for a coalition they knew Deri would be a prominent member of.
Earlier this month, Levin announced his intention to overhaul the judicial system to include an “exception clause” that would allow Parliament to move forward with laws it passes even if they are rejected by the Supreme Court. This proposal raises criticism in Israel.