New law in Israel protects Netanyahu from impeachment

In Israel, it will become much more difficult in the future to declare a prime minister incapacitated. The parliament in Jerusalem passed a corresponding amendment to the law on Thursday after an overnight debate. At the last reading, 61 of the 120 MEPs voted in favour. 47 MPs were against, the others were absent or abstained. If the law is not stopped by the judiciary, a three-quarters majority would be required for impeachment in the future.

This is the first legislative change as part of a highly controversial legal reform by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing religious government, which was eventually approved by parliament. The opposition condemned the new law as “indecent and corrupt”. Opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman announced that he would take action before the Supreme Court.

The change is particularly controversial as it is seen as personally tailored to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his needs. A corruption trial has been going on against the 73-year-old for some time. In the future, a prime minister could only be removed from office for mental or other health reasons. This is intended to prevent the Supreme Court or the Public Prosecution Service from exerting influence.

In Israel, there have been violent protests for about three months against the planned weakening of the judiciary. Attempts to reach a compromise have so far failed. There are increasing warnings that the country is heading for a state crisis. Protests were also planned for Thursday. (saw/sda/dpa)