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On Monday, the Israeli parliament put forward a bill that would make it harder to overthrow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over allegations of corruption against him as it advances a broader plan to overhaul the country’s legal system in the face of massive protests.
Lawmakers in the Knesset gave preliminary approval during a late-night vote on a bill that would allow parliament to declare a prime minister incapable of governing the country for physical or mental reasons alone.
The body was expected to later vote on a measure that would allow the Knesset to overturn Supreme Court decisions and pass laws that had been rejected. Both bills require additional votes before they are enshrined in law.
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The moves are the latest in a series of moves by the Netanyahu coalition to overhaul Israel’s legal system. The prime minister and his allies say efforts are being made to curb the activists’ trial. Critics say the move would destroy the country’s democratic checks and balances and place power in the hands of Netanyahu and his parliamentary majority.
Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and religious coalition allies have vowed to make legal changes despite demonstrations by tens of thousands of Israeli protesters over the past two months. Business leaders, legal experts and retired military leaders have joined the protests, with Israeli reservists threatening to stop showing up if major repairs are carried out.
In a nightly vote, the Knesset put forward a bill that would protect Netanyahu from calls for his ouster, replacing the current law that opens the possibility of removing the leader under other circumstances. The new bill would require the approval of three-quarters of the government and could be overturned by the prime minister.
The move is of personal importance to Netanyahu, who returned to power late last year after Israel’s fifth election in less than four years. He is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and taking bribes and denies the allegations. The trial dragged on for almost three years.
Good governance groups and other critics called on the country’s attorney general to declare Netanyahu unfit for office.
Speaking to members of his Likud party on Monday, Netanyahu lashed out at the Israeli media, saying they were broadcasting “an endless tsunami of fake news” against him. He repeated his statement that legal reform would strengthen Israeli democracy.
Opposition MP Orna Barbivai called the bill “shameful because it says the prime minister is above the law.”
Israel’s Palestinian minority, which makes up about 20% of the population, has hardly participated in the protests, partly because it is discriminated against in Israel, but also because Israel treats its Palestinian brothers in the West Bank and Gaza.
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