Israel’s high court strikes down Shas leader Aryeh Deri’s appointment as minister over tax offenses
Interior and Health Minister Aryeh Deri
The High Court of Justice in Israel has overturned the appointment of Shas leader Aryeh Deri from the posts of interior minister and health minister in itslatest ruling, with 10 judges backing the order and one voting against it. The judges consider Deri's appointment as “unreasonable in the extreme” in light of the numerous corruption charges against him, reported the Times of Israel.
Deri, who took the oath alongside the rest of the government on December 29, must therefore be fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in accordance with the court's verdict.
Together with Uzi Vogelman, Anat Baron, Daphne Barak-Erez, Yael Willner, and others, Court President Esther Hayut votedto revoke Deri's appointment.
The ruling deepens a rift over the power of courts in Israel and could turn out to be the first coalition crisis forPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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The high court ruled that Deri, the influential head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party who has served repeatedly in Netanyahu's previous governments, is disqualified from serving as a minister after he was convicted last year for tax offenses and placed on probation as part of a plea deal.
The verdict spells trouble for the coalitionas some Shas members urged PM Netanyahu to find a solution so that Deri retains the title he deserves as head of a mid-sized party or elsethey could bolt the coalition, shrinking 64-seat majority by 11 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
Talking toKan public radio, Yakov Margi, a Shas Cabinet minister, said, "if Aryeh Deri isn't in the government, there isn't a government."
Judge Yosef Elron wasthe only contrarian, arguing that Deri ought to be made to file an appeal with the Central Election Committee, which should then decide the case.Following covert warnings that the coalition would hasten its efforts to significantly curtail the court's authority in the event that Deri is found ineligible, it is unclear how the new administration will respond.
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