High Court of Justice Judge Dafna Barak Erez today (Friday) ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Attorney General of Israel Gali Beharev Miara to explain why Netanyahu should not declare incapacity following the ongoing trial against him. Barak Erez ordered the state to respond to the Movement for Quality Government petition by next month.
The movement, led by lawyer Dr. Eliad Shraga, said in a statement: “Netanyahu has proven that he is unable to separate his legal affairs from the administration of the state and is trying to collapse the democratic structure of the State of Israel even at the cost of the destruction of the Third Temple.
“The State of Israel”, he said, “deserves a prime minister who will serve it and not himself, and therefore it only makes sense that Netanyahu is declared incapacitated before he manages to destroy the temple.”
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The movement has filed Thursday a petition with the High Court of Justice to declare Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s incapacity due to conflicts of interest regarding the government’s proposed, which he called “judicial reforms.”
The Prime Minister is currently facing trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges. The previous court ruling allowed him to serve as Prime Minister while on trial under the condition that he adhere to a conflict-of-interest agreement. However, the organization claims that despite the Attorney General’s recent determination that the agreement still applies, Netanyahu is actively pursuing overhauling the judicial system.
Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice committee, headed by MK Shinch Rotman (far-right Otzma Yehudit), announced that it would begin to vote on the first part of the “reform” on Sunday. This stage includes provisions that would give the ruling coalition control over who becomes a judge and restrict the highest court from hearing certain cases. If the committee passes the measure, the full assembly of lawmakers will vote on it.
On Wednesday, a group of more than 1,500 former combat soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces started a three-days (50-kilometer) protest march from Latrun to Jerusalem, named “Brothers in Arms.”
Several retired high-ranking military officers, including a former head of Mossad intelligence, joined the march. National Unity MK and former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot joined the marchers, referring to them as “patriots and lovers of the land. Jewish, democratic, strong, and inclusive people.”
The march caused some disruptions on Thursday, as it stopped traffic twice along road no. 1 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, in the morning and during rush hour in the afternoon. This led to some delays and congestion.
Another activist group, “Crime Minister,” intended to demonstrate in front of Netanyahu’s private residence. The Israel Police only allowed them to demonstrate a few hundred meters away from the house in Aza street, France Square, where they protested against Netanyahu in 2021. The angry protestors claimed this was an attempt to soften the blow of the demonstration. “Again,” they declare, “the Israel Police is behaving like a bully, taking a political side and trying to sabotage the protest. We will not surrender to directives meant to suck up to Ben-Gvir and look good in the eyes of the Netanyahu family.”
