Israel Passes Law Protecting Prime Minister From Removal

The Israeli parliament has passed a law protecting the prime minister from being removed from office.

The law, which limits the circumstances in which the prime minister could be removed from office was passed on Thursday by the Israeli parliament.

According to Financial Times, the law, the first of several set to overhaul the judiciary, is believed to be intended to stop the Supreme Court or the Attorney General’s Office from influencing possible impeachment.

Reports say the amendment, which was passed after an all-night debate that stretched into the early hours of Thursday, intensifies the bitter battle over a judicial overhaul pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government that has plunged Israel into its deepest political crisis for years.

Existing Israeli law allowed a prime minister to be removed, but did not spell out the circumstances in which this could occur.

The new rules specify that a prime minister can be removed only on grounds of mental or physical ill health and that only the cabinet or parliament has the right to do so.

Meanwhile, Kanyi Daily reported that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

[irp]