Netanyahu tells High Court he won’t meddle in judicial, police appointments
PM says that while he is legally allowed to, he’ll forgo involvement in choosing new attorney general, state attorney and police commissioner
Responding to a High Court petition seeking to bar him from dealing with judicial appointments due to the corruption charges he is facing in court, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that he will take no role in appointing senior justice ministry officials and an Israel Police commissioner.
“The prime minister has announced that for the sake of public clarity and without detracting from his claims [that he is legally allowed to], he will not deal with the appointment of the attorney general, state attorney and police commissioner,” said the response presented in Netanyahu’s name to the Movement for Quality Government petition.
The anti-corruption group was seeking to prevent the prime minister from being involved in the appointments of officials who could impact the corruption cases in which he is being prosecuted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The group welcomed Netanyahu’s statement but said, “It is not possible for criminal defendant to refuse to commit to not be involved in the appointment of judges, deputy ombudsmen or heads of sensitive police units. It is not for nothing that we requested that an order be issued prohibiting the criminally charged prime minister from engaging in any appointment of senior members of the judiciary and law enforcement, and we hope that the court will accept our petition.”
Netanyahu’s announcement came after months of battling with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit over whether he can be involved in the appointment of his successor and others.
The Knesset on Monday night gave final approval to a bill delaying the deadline for the state budget, breaking through a bitter political logjam ostensibly about the state budget, but also over the issue of senior law-enforcement appointments and the balance of power in the dysfunctional unity coalition.
Despite earlier Likud demands, the final bill approved by the Knesset plenum Monday night did not include a clause forming a panel on senior appointments. Netanyahu has been accused of seeking to engineer the appointment of top legal officials — including a new state prosecutor — who would be willing to be more lenient in the criminal graft trial against him. The prime minister denied any such plan.
According to Channel 12 news, the Blue and White party said it would only accept such a clause if Likud agreed to also pass long-delayed regulations formalizing the equal balance of power in the cabinet, as agreed upon in the coalition deal between them — which Likud refused to do.
The deal, passed into law on Monday night, gives the government 120 more days — up to December 23 — to pass a state budget for the 2020 fiscal year. Passage of the law prevented the automatic collapse of the government and early elections.
Though elections were averted, many analysts believe the government is still on life support and will not survive beyond the next deadline. If, come December 23, the coalition still fails to agree on a budget, the country will head to new elections in March, with Netanyahu keeping his seat throughout the process.
Netanyahu’s trial on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust opened in May in the Jerusalem District Court.
Netanyahu is accused of offering to advance legislation benefiting powerful Israeli media moguls in exchange for more positive coverage in their publications. He has also been charged with accepting some $200,000 in illicit gifts such as cigars and champagne from two billionaires — Hollywood-based Israeli movie mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian magnate James Packer. He denies any wrongdoing.
