Israel’s High Court of Justice is set to convene at the start of next week to hear petitions filed against allowance of a candidate under criminal indictment to form a government; thus invalidating the coalition agreement recently forged between the Likud and Blue and White parties of a national emergency government.
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut will preside over a panel of 11 justices in Jerusalem on Sunday, 3 May and Monday, 4 May.
Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Knesset Speaker Benny Gantz’ Blue and White factions issued separate statements contending that the High Court should not intervene in what they insist to be ‘a purely political matter.’
Ahead of the hearings on the petitions, Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit seemingly adopted the parties’ positions. He informed the High Court while allowing Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government “raises difficulties,” there are no legal grounds to obstruct him from doing so.
Mandelblit emphasized that in his legal opinion, while some of the articles in the coalition agreement should be reviewed with caution – the deal as a whole cannot be disqualified.