Netanyahu Tells High Court He Will Appoint Interior Minister During Election Period

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the High Court of Justice today (Monday) that he intends to appoint an interior minister soon. Netanyahu’s announcement was conveyed to the judges through the state’s representatives, who responded to a petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government demanding that the position be filled through a permanent appointment.

The state’s notice to the High Court said that, following an inquiry from the attorney general’s legal counsel and an examination of the needs that remain unaddressed, the prime minister confirmed that he intends to appoint an interior minister, in part because additional important powers of the interior minister have not yet been transferred to the prime minister and need to be exercised.

As previously reported, the petition called for the appointment of a permanent interior minister and for the cancellation of government decisions under which certain powers of the interior minister were transferred to the prime minister. Following the hearing on the petition, the High Court instructed the state to detail the difficulties caused by the absence of a serving interior minister and how it intends to address them.

In its response, the state acknowledged that the lack of an interior minister with a permanent appointment creates a "substantial legal and practical difficulty." It further wrote that the measures taken so far, including the targeted transfer of powers to the prime minister, do not provide a complete solution and raise difficulties of their own.

The state’s representatives told the High Court hearing that the government has so far decided to transfer roughly 90 of the interior minister’s powers to the prime minister and one additional power to the finance minister, though a significant portion of those transfers has not yet been approved by the Knesset.