Israel’s Supreme Court delays activation of law that makes it harder to remove Netanyahu from office

JERUSALEM (AP) — A law that would make it harder to remove Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office must go into effect only after the next parliamentary elections, the country’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, saying the law was clearly crafted for personal reasons.

Israeli legislators passed the law in March 2023 as part of the government’s contentious legal overhaul plan. Critics said the law was designed to protect Netanyahu from being deemed unfit to rule over claims of a conflict of interest. He had been working to reshape the justice system while on trial for alleged corruption.

The court’s ruling in a 6-5 vote comes days after it overturned the first major piece of the overhaul in a blow to Netanyahu’s government. The next parliamentary elections are expected in 2026 but could be held before then.

Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. He denies wrongdoing.

His involvement in the legal overhaul raised questions, including by the country’s attorney general, over whether that constituted a conflict of interest while he was on trial.