Israel's Supreme Court reviews Prime Minister's Incapacity Law

In Israel, the tug-of-war between the Supreme Court and the political power continues over the controversial justice reform. The country's highest court is due to consider a law recently passed by parliament on Tuesday. This is a text limiting the conditions of incapacity of a Prime Minister, i.e. the cases in which he would be declared unfit to perform his duties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, June 25, 2023. AP - Abir Sultan

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With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Sami Boukhelifah

This law, adopted last March as part of the reform of the judiciary, is tailor-made by the camp of Benjamin Netanyahu, for Benjamin Netanyahu. Thanks to it, only the Israeli Prime Minister can declare himself unfit to perform his duties, in case of physical or mental problems.

The government can also trigger this incapacity procedure, but this requires the vote of three-quarters of the ministers. Suffice to say that thanks to this text, Benjamin Netanyahu has taken cover.

It is also from the adoption of this law last spring, that the head of the Israeli government descended into the arena, to defend tooth and nail his reform of justice. Before that, he stood aside. Because he had "his hands tied," he publicly acknowledged.

Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted in three criminal cases. Wanting to reform the justice system by being in the dock is clearly a conflict of interest. And the Israeli prime minister feared at the time that he would be removed from office. Thanks to this law, he has secured a kind of immunity. The magistrates of the highest court in the country meet this Tuesday, to say whether or not, this text is legal.

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• Israel
• Benjamin Netanyahu