Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has until December 13 to appoint ministers for the three ministries under his control before the High Court of Justice (HCJ) will have to intervene.
In addition to being prime minister, Netanyahu is also the communications minister, the foreign minister and the minister of regional cooperation.
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The HCJ gave the prime minister eight months to resolve the issue and give up some of his other ministerial positions following a petition by Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.
The HCJ determined that while the fact the prime minister continues holding onto these cabinet positions is technically legal, it’s not a situation conducive to democracy.
At the same time, the court also cast doubt on Netanyahu’s ability to effectively manage the role of prime minister while also serving in all these other ministerial roles.
Netanyahu most recently had to give up the post of health minister, appointing Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) who was the deputy minister up to that point.
The HCJ decided that if the prime minister still holds additional ministerial positions after December 13, the issue will be brought back to the court for a more thorough examination of the issue.
Based on the HCJ ruling, Yesh Atid asked Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Wednesday to hold off on any action regarding the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC)—which Netanyahu seeks to close down—until the appointment of a new minister of communications.
Yesh Atid claims that the fact that Netanyahu continues to serve as minister of communications and is “taking steps from which there is no turning back, such as the attempt to cancel the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation law, ” he is “trampling on the provisions of the High Court.”
