Bombshell court ruling disqualifies Deri from serving as a minister, escalating justice war and threatening coalition

Israel’s High Court has ruled that it was “extremely unreasonable” for Benjamin Netanyahu to appoint a minister who is a serial offender. Ayreh Deri is the leader of the 11 Shas Knesset members who are essential to the Prime Minister’s coalition.

The court has disqualified Netanyahu's key ally from serving in a ministerial position.

Ten of the 11 justices ruled against Deri's appointment as health and interior minister, following his conviction last year for tax evasion and previous convictions, which included a prison term for bribery.

The decision comes in the face of the Government’s controversial plans to shackle the judicial system and limit the power of the High Court.

Supreme Court President Esther Hayut said Netanyahu was not entitled to ignore the "accumulation of serious corruption offences" which showed Deri had “violated his duty to serve the public loyally and lawfully while serving in senior public positions".

"Having Deri in charge of two of the most important ministries in the government damages the image and reputation of the country's legal system and contradicts principles of ethical conduct and legality," she ruled.

Immediately following the decision, Netanyahu arrived at Deri's Jerusalem home to discuss their next steps, and according to Israel's Channel 12 News, told him that, "When my brother is in trouble, I stand by him."

Haaretz columnist Anshel Pfeffer said the decision had “drastically shortened the timeline of Israel’s impending constitutional crisis”.

“Some of his coalition partners have already called upon him to ignore the High Court ruling. Such a step would be all but unthinkable. In the past, prime ministers from across the political spectrum have railed against the decisions of the unelected judges, but never so much as breathed the suggestion that they would defy them. Netanyahu now has to either fire Deri or accept his resignation. Not doing so would be the end of any semblance of the rule of law in Israel.”

The Netanyahu Government has proposed controversial laws to override judicial independence but even these are unlikely to override a decision already made.

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Bombshell ruling by Israel’s top court disqualifies Netanyahu ally Deri from serving as a minister (Haaretz)

There's a Time Bomb Now Ticking on Netanyahu's Desk (Anshel Pfeffer/Haaretz)

High Court ruling against Deri amplifies threat of war between coalition, judiciary (Times of Israel)