Petition for Netanyahu’s removal from office rejected by High Court

The court rejected the petition saying that judicial intervention was a last resort after all other avenues had been exhausted.

 Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly government conference at the PM's office in Jerusalem on January 22, 2023. (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly government conference at the PM's office in Jerusalem on January 22, 2023.
(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

A petition calling for a declaratory order for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be removed from office over his conflict of interest with the judicial reform was rejected by the High Court of Justice on Monday.

The court rejected the petition by the Defenders of Israeli Democracy on all grounds, saying that judicial intervention was a last resort after all other avenues had been exhausted.

The petition was viewed as unacceptable in its framing, and the petitioners were ordered to pay NIS 5,000 for expenses to the state treasury.

The petition was filed on Sunday in response to the speech by Netanyahu on Thursday in which he said he was involving himself in the judicial reform.

The attorney-general issued an opinion on Friday that the speech and promotion of the reforms was in violation of the prime minister’s conflict of interest agreement.