Israeli court rules Netanyahu can form government under criminal indictment
Decision removes last barrier to country’s longest serving leader forming unity government with former rival Benny Gantz.
Israel’s top court has ruled Benjamin Netanyahu can legally form a government while under criminal indictment for corruption, paving the way for him to be sworn in as prime minister next week.
The unanimous decision, released overnight, swatted down last-ditch attempts to end the career of the country’s longest-serving leader, who has fought for the past year to keep his seat in high office.
Judges were asked by eight petitioners, a mix of advocacy groups and opposition figures, to block Netanyahu because of his legal troubles. The court also assessed the legality of a controversial unity government deal Netanyahu agreed with his former-foe, Benny Gantz.
In its decision, the 11-judge panel expressed strong opposition to both Netanyahu’s continued rule and the coalition deal but said it would not get in the way of either.
“We did not find any legal reason to prevent MK (Member of Knesset) Netanyahu from forming a government,” the court said.
“The legal conclusion we reached does not diminish the severity of the pending charges against MK Netanyahu for violations of moral integrity and the difficulty derived from the tenure of a prime minister accused of criminal activity,” it added.
Famed for political wizardry even while ostensibly cornered, Netanyahu managed to convince Gantz, a former army chief who entered politics on the promise to oust Netanyahu, to do the exact opposite and join him instead.
The deal, agreed last month, envisions Netanyahu remaining in power for the first 18 months, after which Gantz would assume the role of prime minister for the next 18 months.
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