Jerusalem
CNN
—
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed key ally Arie Deli from all ministerial posts on Sunday, following an Israeli High Court ruling that it was unreasonable to appoint Shas to government posts.
The court said Deli’s nomination was “unbearable” due to his criminal conviction and the fact that he had said in court last year that he would retire from public life before being convicted of tax evasion.
Mr Netanyahu told Mr Deli that he had acted “with a heavy heart and great sadness”, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
Deli’s dismissal came a day after more than 100,000 people protested in central Tel Aviv against the Netanyahu government and its planned judicial reforms, Israeli media police estimate. Thousands more protested in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities, police said.
This is the third week that opponents of Netanyahu’s government have held protests, but it was the largest turnout yet.
Netanyahu’s Justice Minister Yalib Levin announced a series of judicial reforms earlier this month. This would allow Congress to overturn decisions of the High Court and give politicians more power to appoint judges. On Wednesday, the High Court ruled that Netanyahu must dismiss Delhi, who was previously convicted of crimes including violating tax laws. Deli has said he will serve his suspended sentence and resign from his public office.
Deli’s Shas party, which won 11 seats in Israel’s 120-seat Knesset in November and is a key component of Netanyahu’s coalition, called the court’s decision “arbitrary and unprecedented” and immediately objected to.
The Sephardic Religious Party said the court “today destroyed the voices and votes of 400,000 voters of the Shas movement.”
“Today the court actually ruled that the election is meaningless. The court’s decision is political and tainted,” the party said.
The High Court had been asked to rule on whether it was legally reasonable to appoint Deli to a post in Netanyahu’s cabinet despite his tax evasion conviction. A judge ruled that his appointment was “unbearable.”
“This is due, among other things, to his pending conviction,” he said, not retiring from public life as he said he would do when convicted in a tax evasion case.
Opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Yair Lapid and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, attended a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
“What you see here today is pro-state demonstrations. People who love this country have come to defend the idea of democracy, the courts, common life and common good,” Rapid tweeted. Did. “Here are Israeli enthusiasts who have come to demonstrate for a democratic Jewish state, following the values of the Declaration of Independence. We will not give up until we win.”
