Day 480 - Quagmire in judicial branch as justice minister flexes

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute
audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and
the Jewish world.


Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon joins host
Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.


Sharon was in court yesterday as Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu resumed his testimony in his corruption trial. We hear
whether the premier seems in good health following his prostate
surgery even as his hearing was canceled today and tomorrow over
a judge's illness.


We learn that an angry Netanyahu alleged that key aspects of the
case against him rested on testimony that had been illegitimately
obtained from witnesses such as former aides Nir Hefetz, Ari
Harrow, and Shlomo Filber and that aspects of the indictment
against him are factually inaccurate.


After an unprecedented 16 months without a permanent Supreme
Court president and in the face of unrelenting opposition from
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Justice Isaac Amit was elected head
of Israel’s top court on Sunday night in a court-forced vote by
the Judicial Selection Committee.


Sharon delves into the tricky situation in which Levin, together
with the other coalition representatives in the committee,
Settlements Minister Orit Strock and Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak
Kroizer, boycotted the hearing in protest of the decision by the
Supreme Court — sitting as the High Court of Justice — to order
him to hold a vote in the committee.


For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s
ongoing live blog.


Discussed articles include:


Netanyahu aiming to meet Trump at White House next week
in first visit by foreign leader


Netanyahu accuses police of extorting ‘false testimony’
from state witnesses


Isaac Amit finally elected Supreme Court president; Levin
pledges to boycott him


Israel finally gets a permanent Supreme Court president;
what does he stand for?


Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple
Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your
podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.


IMAGE: Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin attends a plenum
session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli
parliament in Jerusalem, December 4, 2024. )Chaim
Goldbergl/Flash90)


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