The ultraorthodox minister arié deri, condemned for tax fraud, will have to leave the government.
by Louis Imbert (Jerusalem, correspondent)
The Israeli Supreme Court opened a major political crisis on Wednesday, January 18, believing that the government’s number two, the ultraorthodox arié deri, was to be removed from its functions. To an overwhelming majority, ten judges out of eleven claim that his sentence condemnation for tax fraud in 2021, and his promise not required to withdraw from political life place his appointment “serious contradiction with the fundamental principles of the State of right “.
The Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, in power since December 2022, rushed within an hour at the home in Jerusalem of his main ally, his right arm, his “brother in distress”, according to his entourage. The Shass Party of M. Déri, with 11 deputies out of 120 at the Knesset, denounces an anti-democratic coup.
“The court, which claims to watch over the minorities, threw the voice and votes of 400,000 Shass voters to the nettles”, affirm these ultraorthodox deputies. Mr. Déri had himself announced before the verdict that he would not resign from the positions he cumulates: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Interior and “Peripheries”. He puts Mr. Netanyahu in fact to solve this problem. Otherwise, his party threatens to drop the right coalition. “If they slam the door on the nose, we will come back by the window,” he warned Wednesday evening. If they close the window, we will go through the roof. “
His coalition encourages Mr. Netanyahu to ignore the court’s decision purely and simply. An impossible choice, which would be illegality. The Prime Minister seems constrained, in the long term, to return Mr. Der. However, he will seek a way to remind the government, potentially to a tailor -made post of alternating Prime Minister.
brutal confrontation
Meanwhile, the coalition promises to accelerate its fight against the Supreme Court. She wishes to give the Knesset the means to erase any objection of the judges to her laws, as in the action of the government, by a simple majority vote. Ultimately, this could allow Mr. Derne to return to business. The Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, who passionately carries this reform, described on Wednesday as “absurd” the decision of the court, and deplored that the judges “chose not to respect the choice of the people”. For the past week, debates of incredible violence have already opposed, in committee, the majority to legal advisers and representatives of the country’s attorney general.
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