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)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.