Israeli Prime Minister Heeds Supreme Court Order to Fire Minister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired a senior cabinet member with a criminal record on Sunday, complying with a Supreme Court decision, even as he pursues controversial judicial reforms that would curb the powers of the judiciary.

Pledged to find “all legal means” to keep Aryeh Deri in public office in the future, Netanyahu informed him during a weekly cabinet meeting that he was being removed from the interior and health ministries, according to an official transcript.

A Deri confidant, Barak Seri, told Army Radio early on Sunday that the portfolios would be held by other members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas party, which remains in the coalition.

Last week, the Supreme Court ordered Netanyahu to fire Deri, citing his 2022 tax fraud conviction.

That decision sparked a heated debate in Israel — accompanied by protests across the country — over reform proposals that Netanyahu says will restore the balance of powers but which critics say will undermine judicial independence.

Source: CNN Brasil

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