Netanyahu fires health minister after SC bars him from holding office

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has fired his Health Minister, Aryeh Deri. The decision came after the Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday barred Deri from serving in the cabinet.
Deri was given a suspended sentence for tax evasion in February 2022. The Supreme Court judges say this disqualifies him from being a minister.
Following the High Court of Justice ruling, Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had sent a letter to Netanyahu in which she said he must fire Deri “immediately.”
In a letter to Deri, Netanyahu says he had no choice but to dismiss him from his ministerial positions. The prime minister said the ruling “ignores the will of the people.” He added, “I intend to look for any legal way in which you can continue to contribute to State of Israel from your many experiences and skills.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen says Netanyahu and Deri upheld the Supreme Court ruling but that this was against the democratic will of Israelis.
MK Orna Barbivay of the liberal Yesh Atid party says Netanyahu had to acknowledge “with a heavy heart” the court’s decision, “mainly because he understands today more than ever the legal implications for his own political future.”