An Israeli government minister and member of the ruling Likud party warned Wednesday that any attempt by the judiciary to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu out of office, including any attempt to declare him incapable of fulfilling his duties as premier, would likely spark violence and possibly even lead to an Israeli civil war.
Speaking with Galei Yisrael radio on Wednesday, Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem ruled out the possibility of the Supreme Court ousting Netanyahu, saying that public outrage would be overpowering should the judiciary attempt to declare the prime minister unfit to serve.
“That won’t happen, we won’t let it happen,” said Amsalem. “I suppose we can make the judges stay clear of such a place and we can do other things so that the public will act spontaneously.”
However, should the court attempt to force the issue, Amsalem continued, popular resistance to the move would likely turn violent.
“In my opinion, that already would be a coup d’etat par excellence, and it would lead to a civil war.”
When asked whether he would back the use of armed force by citizens in such a situation, Amsalem responded: “No, not with guns. That would lead to physical confrontations between citizens. Not with guns. That could escalate to that at some later stage.”
Amsalem advocated for civil disobedience and protests, should the courts attempt to force Netanyahu out of office.
“It’s possible also to do other things, like preventing judges from entering their chambers; people could come and barricade the entrance. You can always escalate to the next stage, and then the next stage after that.”
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