61°F
weather icon Clear

Law making it harder to remove Netanyahu from office delayed

JERUSALEM — A law that would make it harder to remove Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office must go into effect only after the next parliamentary elections, the country’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, saying the law was clearly crafted for personal reasons.

Israeli legislators passed the law in March 2023 as part of the government’s legal overhaul plan. Critics said the law was designed to protect Netanyahu from being deemed unfit to rule over claims of a conflict of interest. He had been working to reshape the justice system while on trial for alleged corruption.

The court’s ruling in a 6-5 vote comes days after it overturned the first major piece of the overhaul in a blow to Netanyahu’s government. The next parliamentary elections are expected in 2026 but could be held before then.

Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. He denies wrongdoing.

His involvement in the legal overhaul raised questions, including by the country’s attorney general, over whether that constituted a conflict of interest while he was on trial.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Campuses across US wrestle with how to address protests

Protesters at universities across the country are demanding schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they say are enabling the conflict.

Ship in Red Sea damaged; missiles from Houthi terrorists suspected

The attack follows an uptick in assaults launched by the Houthis in recent days after a relative lull in their monthslong campaign over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.