PM given week to respond to petition calling to hold him in contempt of High Court

The High Court of Justice gives Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a week to respond to a petition filed today, which seeks to hold the premier in contempt of court for allegedly violating a conflict of interest agreement blocking him from involvement in the government’s judicial overhaul due to his ongoing corruption trial.

Chief Justice Esther Hayut says Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, too, must respond by April 2.

The decision came after the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a fierce opponent of the overhaul, asked the court to force Netanyahu to obey the law and sanction him either with a fine or prison time for not doing so, saying he was not above the law.

“A prime minister who doesn’t obey the court and the provisions of the law is privileged and an anarchist,” said Eliad Shraga, the head of the group, echoing language used by Netanyahu and his allies against protesting opponents of the overhaul. “The prime minister will be forced to bow his head before the law and comply with the provisions of the law.”