Netanyahu ally walks over Knesset speaker vote amid double crisis

The ballot for a new speaker of the chamber is set for Thursday after a showdown between the high court and the parliment

epa08320927 Israeli left wing activists protest in front of the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem, 25 March 2020. Media reports state that hundreds of Israeli protesters arrived to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein whom they claim are taking advantage of the medical crisis around the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes the Covid-19 disease to limit the Supreme Court's power and to prevent proper parliamentary procedures in the Knesset.  EPA/ABIR SULTAN
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Israel's Supreme Court arranged for a vote for a parliamentary speaker to be held on Thursday in a showdown with an ally of Benjamin Netanyahu, a move that could threaten the prime minister's long hold on power.

In what the court called an unprecedented challenge of its authority by a public official, current speaker Yuli Edelstein had disobeyed its order to hold an election for the post - a vote he was set to lose. Instead, the ally of the prime minister quit on Wednesday.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 16, 2018 Israeli parliament (Knesset) speaker Yuli Edelstein gestures prior to attend a session of Questions to the government at the French National Assembly in Paris, as part of his state visit to France. Edelstein, a close ally of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, resigned as speaker of Israeli parliament according to a statememt released on March 25. / AFP / Eric Feferberg
Israeli parliament speaker Yuli Edelstein gestures prior to attend a session of questions to the government in Paris. AFP

Attacking Mr Edelstein's defiance but stopping short of penalising him in a contempt hearing, the court empowered Amir Peretz, a veteran legislator and an opponent of Mr Netanyahu, to hold a vote for the speaker's post later in the day.

Mr Edelstein belongs to Mr Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, and his resignation removed a potential obstacle to opposition plans to pass a law barring the prime minister, as an indicted suspect in three corruption cases, from forming a new government following a March 2 national election.

But under law, Mr Edelstein remains at his post until Friday, and Mr Peretz's appointment to oversee the vote on his replacement meant it could be held before the next scheduled session of parliament on Monday.

Amid a deep political stalemate, no government has been formed to replace a caretaker administration. But the main opposition party, centrist Blue and White led by former general Benny Gantz, controls a slim majority of 61 of parliament's 120 seats.

For Mr Gantz, time is of the essence in choosing a new speaker from Blue and White who could help put the legislation into motion to block Mr Netanyahu's quest for a fourth consecutive term.

Mr Gantz's 28-day presidential mandate to establish a governing coalition expires in a little over two weeks, when Mr Netanyahu could get the nod.

Under law, Mr Gantz could ask for a two-week extension but after three inconclusive national elections in less than a year, he might not get one.

Mr Edelstein cited the coronavirus crisis and pursuit of Mr Netanyahu's call for a "national emergency government" with Mr Gantz as valid reasons for postponing the election for speaker in the newly sworn-in parliament.

He said he was acting as a matter of conscience.

In a decision released on Thursday, Chief Justice Esther Hayut said Mr Edelstein's disobedience of the rule of law set a bad example for ordinary Israelis faced with restrictions on their movement to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Mr Netanyahu, who has denied charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, has made no comment on the controversy. But some Likud members accused the court of undermining democracy in forcing a Knesset vote.