High Court set to hear petitions to bar Netanyahu and coalition deal

The High Court of Justice is set this morning to consider whether to block the coalition government agreed upon between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival-turned-partner Benny Gantz, a case that could force another election.

Netanyahu, in power since 2009, and the ex-military chief Gantz, faced off in three inconclusive elections in less than a year. With neither man able to form a viable governing coalition in Israel’s deeply divided 120-seat parliament, they agreed to a power-sharing deal last month, saying they aimed to avert a fourth vote opposed across the political spectrum.

Eight separate petitions to be examined by the High Court seek to declare the deal illegal, including one from former Gantz ally Yair Lapid, head of the opposition party Yesh Atid.

Crucially, the court will today consider whether Netanyahu can serve while under indictment, and tomorrow whether the deal is legal.

The hearings will be livestreamed.

— with AFP

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