Israel crossed a glaring red line this week as it continued to tumble in free fall toward one of the most severe political-constitutional crises in its history. For the first time since the police began investigating suspicions of corruption against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu almost four years ago, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit held an internal consultation this week to consider whether Netanyahu should be declared incapacitated and forced to step aside.
Israeli law allows for the “temporary incapacity” of top office holders for various reasons. The “incapacity” turns permanent following 100 days and the office holder is supposed to be replaced. The only precedent in Israeli history for such incapacity dates to January 2006, when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke and fell into a coma. Then the reason was related to health. The issue is on the agenda now for an entirely different reason.
