Israeli Attorney General: Netanyahu should fire minister for listening to fetal heartbeat? New abortion plans are causing a stir in Spain

Israel’s attorney general has ordered re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire one of his top ministers following a Supreme Court ruling.

Netanyahu must abide by the landmark ruling and remove Interior and Health Minister Arie Deri from his posts, Gali Baharav-Miara wrote in a letter published Thursday, according to media reports.

The Supreme Court declared on Wednesday that the appointment of the leader of the strictly religious Shas party as minister is “inappropriate”. The judges justified their verdict with Deri’s repeated conviction. They also stated that Deri pledged to retire from politics in 2021 in a tax evasion lawsuit. Netanyahu has not yet officially commented on the verdict. It is considered a severe blow to the new right-wing religious government.

Deri’s appointment was a key demand from the Shas party in coalition talks with Netanyahu. Party members have already threatened to leave the government if Deri were to lose his position. The party has 11 of the ruling coalition’s 64 seats in parliament. The new coalition had specifically amended a law to allow Deri to become minister despite his conviction.

It is feared that the verdict could fuel Israel’s dispute over judicial reforms. The new justice minister, Jariv Levin, said he would “do whatever it takes to right the wrongs against Deri”. A few weeks ago he had already presented plans for the targeted weakening of the Supreme Court. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets against the plans. (aeg/sda/dpa)