Israel will not become Netanyahu’s property: Lieberman

Israel will not become the property of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s family, former finance minister, and the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, Avigdor Lieberman, said yesterday.

Lieberman was quoted by the local media as saying that his bloc would submit a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court to invalidate a new law passed yesterday which prevents the attorney general from declaring a prime minister unfit for office.

“We will not allow the State of Israel to become a Netanyahu monarchy,” he reiterated.

The Israeli Knesset yesterday ratified the second and third readings of a bill by a majority of 61 members. The bill was proposed by the governing Likud coalition.

It also conditions an announcement about the Prime Minister’s inability to perform their duties on the approval of at least 80 Knesset members.

Netanyahu is facing charges in three corruption cases and many believe he is putting in place laws which protect him from being removed from office or serving time as a result. He denies that there is any link between the cases against him and government moves for a judicial overhaul or to protect the status of the prime minister.

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