Knesset passes law protecting Netanyahu from removal.

The Knesset passed a law that shields Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a court order to recuse himself, with a 61-47 vote. The law explicitly blocks the top court from ordering a prime minister to take a leave of absence, and is seen as a reaction to fears that the High Court of Justice could force Netanyahu to step down due to the potential conflict of interest created by him overseeing his coalition’s bid to overhaul the judiciary while he is on trial for multiple corruption charges. The opposition has criticized the law, and Yisrael Beytenu party plans to submit a petition to the High Court for the law to be overturned.