Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Photo: Depositphotos
On Sunday evening, Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, is due to present his position to the country’s High Court of Justice on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fit to continue to perform his duties during his testimony in court. At the moment, Netanyahu has not retained a private lawyer. If the parties do not reach a mutual agreement on this issue, the Prime Minister is likely to go to court to obtain separate representation, The Jerusalem Post reports.
According to information, the Advocate General may ask the judges to extend the deadline for submitting their response to the petition, although the lawyers who filed the petition will oppose such a delay.
Netanyahu’s office is considering several options for how to proceed. One of them is to temporarily step aside for a period of time during his testimony so that he can concentrate exclusively on the trial. During this time, Justice Minister Yariv Levin would act as prime minister.
However, the government is opposed to the idea of Netanyahu completely stepping down from his duties for the entire period of the testimony. If the testimony lasts more than 100 days, the government will be forced to resign and the Knesset will call new elections. Currently, the only option being considered is to temporarily step aside for a few hours each day during his testimony, which would avoid threatening the stability of the government.
