In a unanimous and unambiguous ruling delivered in the late evening hours of May 6, an expanded panel of 11 Israeli Supreme Court justices green lighted the power-sharing agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. The ruling paves the way for the May 13 swearing-in of Israel’s 35th government, ending months of interim governments and setting aside prospects of a fourth round of elections.

With the High Court ruling published, the Knesset adopted on the morning of May 7 amendments to quasi-constitutional basic laws, thus enabling Likud and Blue and White to proceed with the unity deal signed on April 20. Netanyahu is expected to present today to President Reuven Rivlin a Knesset majority backing him for the mission of composing the new government.

The power of the ruling lies in its unanimity. Following two days of lengthy deliberations, the panel, led by Chief Justice Esther Hayut, rejected all the petitions filed against Netanyahu’s eligibility to form a government in light of his indictment on charges of corruption and against his rotation deal with Gantz. While the judges voiced reservations about the public and moral implications of a government led by an indicted politician, they stopped short of intervening and adhered to the letter of the law that does not disqualify Netanyahu for the position.

The ruling brings to an end the political-legal drama that played out this week in two Jerusalem arenas: the Supreme Court and the nearby Knesset building, with its plenum and committees. While the justices were hearing the petitioners’ arguments, lawmakers conducted a blitz of legislation to anchor the coalition agreement between Netanyahu’s Likud and Gantz’s Blue and White party, which entails unprecedented amendments of basic laws anchoring the authority of the government and Knesset.