PM Netanyahu's Attorneys Respond to the Petition for the Purpose of Measures to Require the Establishment of a Commission to Discuss His Immunity • An "Extraordinary Step Involving Intervention in Parliamentary Proceedings"

• PM Netanyahu on Petition: "An Exceptional Step of Intervention in Political Procedures" // Photo: Gideon Markovich

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, with the help of his attorney, Yossi Cohen and Amit Haddad, filed his response to the Petition for the Purity of Dimension to require the establishment of a Knesset committee to discuss Netanyahu's request for immunity, should it be submitted.

In a petition submitted to the High Court, it was argued that the Knesset is obliged to establish a Knesset committee to discuss the immunity request of MK Haim Katz and the Prime Minister, as far as it is submitted.

In response, his attorneys claimed that this was an intervention in the Knesset's state of affairs: "This is a very unusual step involving intervention in parliamentary and political proceedings, ignoring a constitutional practice whereby Knesset committees are not established as long as a government is not established and we are in political reality. Knesset members reached consensus on such issues, which led to the State of Israel being in an election campaign for the 23rd Knesset, "the reply said.

"It is wrong and unjust to force a Knesset that failed to formulate a government and a clear coalition and opposition force to make decisions on such important issues," the prime minister's power of attorney added in the response to the petition.

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In the next two days, the prime minister will have to decide whether he wants immunity from the Knesset. Netanyahu must submit the request to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein by midnight Wednesday, when the 30-day quorum stipulated in the law will end. The law stipulates that the Speaker of the Knesset must submit Netanyahu's request to the Knesset Committee as soon as possible, however, because the Knesset has dispersed.

In the meantime, Knesset Attorney General Eyal Yanun stated in the opinion that the Knesset Law does not grant the Knesset Committee (which manages Knesset matters during this period) the powers of the Knesset Committee, but is empowered to engage only in the Knesset's deliberations and hearings. Requesting immunity is a quasi-judicial hearing, so only the Knesset committee is empowered to discuss it.