Daily Briefing Jan. 19: Does court’s ruling on Deri create a constitutional crisis?

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Legal affairs reporter Jeremy Sharon and US correspondent Jacob Magid join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s podcast.

Sharon discusses the bombshell High Court ruling that bans Shas leader Aryeh Deri from serving as a minister, reviewing what brought Deri back to the High Court after his criminal conviction last year.

He also looks at how the court ruling could play out in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government, given the sweeping changes the coalition aims to make with its reform package, and whether the government’s effort to severely restrict judicial review over Knesset legislation could lead to a constitutional crisis.

Magid talks about a delegation of US senators who arrived in Israel on Tuesday and asked not to meet with far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir or any members of their hardline factions. He clarifies what that means, if anything, for US President Joe Biden’s current attitude toward Israel.

He also discusses US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s short trip to the region this week, including his meetings with President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu as well as with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Discussed articles include:

In bombshell ruling, High Court nixes Shas head Deri from serving as minister

As coalition looks to radically rebalance power, a messy constitutional crisis looms

Delegation of visiting US senators asks not to meet with Smotrich and Ben Gvir

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