Israel: The Knesset approves a law preventing Netanyahu from being impeached

The Knesset approved on Thursday, a law that would prevent impeachment of the prime minister from office, thus immunizing the current Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli Knesset General Assembly approved, in the second and third readings, the Basic Law: The Government bill, which prohibits the dismissal of a prime minister from office, and the announcement of his inability to carry out his duties.

The law was approved by a majority of 61 Knesset members, while 47 members opposed it.

The amendment to this law includes that the declaration of impossibility is only in the event that the prime minister is physically or psychologically unable to carry out his duties, and in this case, the prime minister himself must announce his impossibility or through a vote in the government and the support of 75% of the ministers for the impossibility.

It’s noteworthy that if the prime minister opposes a vote on this in the government, the decision is transferred to the plenary body in the Knesset, where the impossibility must be supported by 90 Knesset members.

According to the amendment, the Israeli Supreme Court isn’t entitled to consider a petition demanding that the inability be declared or approved, despite the fact that the Israeli government’s legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Mayara, has expressed her opposition to preventing the court from carrying out judicial control in this regard.