7/6/2023 0 Comments Nexus beingNetanyahu and other proponents have couched the judicial reforms as an innocuous attempt to check a leftist and overly activist judiciary. Of the pending actions, the most threatening is the package of bills that among other proposals would give the Knesset an outsized role in the selection of judges, grant the Knesset the power to override the Supreme Court, and limit the court’s right to exercise judicial review in the first place. Netanyahu’s allies have expressed their desire to go further and pass the so-called “ French Law,” which would immunize sitting prime ministers from criminal prosecution for the duration of their tenure and abolish the “fraud and breach of trust” offense from Israel’s penal code altogether. But last month, he and his allies in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, approved a law removing the main sanction for not complying with this ruling. For example, he had been barred from personally leading and negotiating reforms potentially affecting his corruption case because of his conflict of interest. Since forming a coalition, Israel’s right-wing government has advanced a slew of legal and judicial reforms driven at least in part by a desire to protect Netanyahu from criminal prosecution. After winning a dramatic reelection bid, Netanyahu has demonstrated his willingness to save himself no matter the cost - even if it means dismantling his country’s democracy. In January 2022, he pursued a plea deal before reversing course. If convicted, Netanyahu could be sentenced to multiple years in prison.Īs a defendant, Netanyahu has made multiple attempts to evade the charges, including filing motions to delay the trial, to dismiss the most serious charges, and to dismiss the trial entirely. The case has been delayed multiple times, and the Jerusalem District Court is still in the process of surveying a list of over 300 witnesses. The ongoing corruption trial against Netanyahu has lasted over three years, and there is no end in sight. Here, it is worth noting that both the police chief who investigated the cases and the attorney general who indicted Netanyahu were appointed by Netanyahu himself. But many commentators have highlighted how Netanyahu could use the reforms to extricate himself from legal challenges.Įven before his indictment, Netanyahu sought to delegitimize the investigations, calling them a “ witch hunt” orchestrated by the media and leftist conspirators seeking to remove him from office through undemocratic means. Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty, denied all wrongdoing, and insisted that the proposed judicial reforms are unrelated to his corruption trial. The accusations stem from three separate cases in which Netanyahu is accused of granting political favors in exchange for luxury gifts or favorable news coverage. Netanyahu’s newfound impetus to weaken Israel’s judiciary arose after he became embroiled in a criminal trial for multiple corruption charges: bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The timing of Netanyahu’s sudden change of heart on the importance of “a strong, independent court” is more than a mere coincidence. In February, Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government voted to press ahead with important elements of its contested plan to gut the authority of Israel’s judiciary. Research Assistant - Governance Studies - The Brookings Institutionīehind the enormous demonstrations that have roiled Israel in recent weeks are Netanyahu’s corruption problems and his proposed response - which threatens the foundations of Israeli democracy.
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