Netanyahu responds to High Court: I have no choice but to be involved in judicial overhaul

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists in a filing to the High Court of Justice that the consequences of his government’s judicial overhaul program are so far-reaching that he is obligated by dint of his office to be intimately involved in managing the deep political crisis that has arisen over the issue.

He argues there is no substantive conflict of interest between his ongoing corruption trial and his government’s far-reaching legal reforms, and asks the High Court to reject a request to hold him in contempt of court for involving himself in the matter.

And Netanyahu pledges that any judges appointed following passage of the judicial overhaul legislation will “not be involved in my issues.”

Attorneys for Netanyahu lay out this position in response to a request by the Movement of Quality Government (MQG) for the High Court to hold the prime minister in contempt of court for what the organization says was his violation last month of a conflict of interest agreement approved by the High Court in 2020 and updated earlier this year.

Netanyahu said that he was involving himself in the debate within his coalition over the judicial overhaul bills, leading MQG to accuse him of violating the conflict of interest agreement which states he may not involved himself in legislative matters that may impact his ongoing trial on corruption charges.

“With all due respect to any conflict of interest agreement, when there is an issue that the president of the country announces that he believes it may lead to a civil war; when the president of the United States and world leaders express a position on an issue and discuss it with the prime minister; when the issue affects the security of the country and its economy; the prime minister must by virtue of his position manage the matter and be involved in it and this has nothing whatsoever to do with his personal affairs,” write Netanyahu’s attorneys. “This is the meaning of the role of the prime minister, and this is the meaning of the choice of the citizens of the State of Israel.”