Netanyahu grabs power AGAIN; ties govt. formation to himself! - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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He's at it again!

It’s the investigations, stupid

On Sunday, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation will discuss an amendment to the Basic Law on the Government, which has been dubbed the “Gideon Sa’ar law.” Under the amendment, after a Knesset election the president will entrust the formation of a new government not to “any MK who agrees” to do that, as the law now stipulates, but to the head of a party who agrees to undertake that mission and has been approved by the majority of other elected factions.

This of course is not a Sa’ar or a Gilad Erdan or Yisrael Katz or Yuli Edelstein law. It’s a Benjamin Netanyahu law, and in more than one sense. The idea that President Reuven Rivlin will ignore the will of the people, summon Sa’ar, let’s say, and ask him to form a government, tells us something not about Rivlin, but about Netanyahu’s paranoia. We’ve had suspicious leaders who felt they were being persecuted, but we’ve never had anything like this.

It’s now clear that the new legislation, initiated by coalition whip MK David Amsalem (Likud), was born in sin. Netanyahu made up a fantastical story about a putsch attempt devised by Sa’ar and Rivlin, solely to justify legislation that will reduce the powers of the president and taint him with stain of being a potential conspirator. Given the two options – to act with transparency and integrity, or to behave deviously and misleadingly – Netanyahu will always choose the second.

The spin worked quite well. The media for the most part swallowed the story that “a lacuna was discovered in the law and needs to be amended.” It’s worth reading the explanation that Amsalem concocted for promoting the amendment. It shows that he’s a distinguished democrat, the James Madison of our time, who wants to save the president from himself and spare him embarrassment and a “serious public controversy,” which would be fomented by a mistaken decision on his part. We’re so lucky to have this guy Amsalem around.


The implication of the law, which is expected to make its way speedily through the byways of the legislative process, is that Netanyahu is handcuffing Likud to him – a person suspected of criminal wrongdoing. If legal circumstances end up preventing Netanyahu, as the head of the largest party following the next election (according to current polls), from getting the presidential nod to create the next government, then none of the other pretenders to the crown in his party will be able to get it either. If he sinks, they will go down with him. Because the right to form a government will accrue only to party leaders, if the new legislation is passed, Netanyahu is, in principle, effectively paving the way for the head of a rival party to take up residence on Balfour Street.

Which is why all the premier’s coalition partners support the legislation. He’s giving them membership in the exclusive club of potential prime ministers. Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, head of Kulanu, who asserted a week ago that he doesn’t support legislation of a personal nature, has changed his tune. If personal benefit will go to him, then the legislation is terrific.
“Party leaders work very hard to get elected. They bear the responsibility and the Knesset seats are theirs. It’s good that the law recognizes this,” Kahlon said this week.

And more food for thought: because the only motivation for the amendment resides in the investigations of Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000 and their possible implications, we need to take into account a scenario in which Netanyahu resigns the premiership in the wake of being indicted. That’s the prevailing assumption in the coalition.

But he won’t have to resign as leader of Likud. And why should he? He will remain party leader, no one will replace him, and thus he can continue, even in the capacity of being actively accused, to thwart the ambitions of his self-styled successors for who knows how many years. Something to be considered by the Likud ministers who will vote for the amendment next week.

Thursday, the hole being dug for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the law enforcement agencies got even deeper, with publication of the police recommendations to prosecute most of the suspects in Case 3000, aka the submarine affair, involving alleged fraud, money laundering and other charges related to Israel’s purchase of submarines from the German firm Thyssenkrupp. Those on the police’s list include Netanyahu’s former bureau chief, David Sharan, and Netanyahu’s cousin and his former attorney, David Shimron. Police say there was not enough evidence to charge former Netanyahu adviser, envoy and confidant Isaac Molho.

These are just police recommendations, which could be overturned down the road. But adding to the troubles at Balfour Street there’s a new fear now: that – heaven forbid – Sharan or Shimron might turn state’s evidence against the prime minister.



Yossi Verter in Haaretz got it perfectly as usual! While not surprising, the whole thing stinks and is a national disgrace! Paralell to the 'override power' draft bill to curtail the High Court of Justice too!

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