Israel: Netanyahu defends himself against impeachment

The parliament in Jerusalem passed a corresponding amendment to the law on Thursday after a late-night debate. If the law is not stopped by the judiciary, a three-quarters majority would be required for impeachment in the future.

This is the first legislative change in a highly controversial judicial reform by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing religious government that was finally approved by Parliament. The opposition condemned the new law as “indecent and corrupt”.

The change is particularly controversial because it is seen as personally tailored to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his needs. A corruption process has been going on against the 73-year-old for a long time. In the future, removal from office would only be possible because of health problems.