The apartheid state of Israel’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a politician convicted of tax fraud wasn’t fit to serve as a senior minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing regime. Interesting place to draw the line if you ask me, but this decision will likely accelerate the impending showdown between the corrupt government and its judiciary over control of the highest court in the land.
Ten of the 11 judges on the judicial panel ruled against the appointment of minister Aryeh Deri, leader of an ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party called Shas and a close ally to Benny Netanyahu. The judges made their ruling on grounds of “extreme unreasonability”, primarily due to Deri’s recent conviction of tax fraud as well as his suspended prison sentence. The explanation for their ruling stated, “This is, among other things, due to Deri’s backlog of criminal convictions,” along with his failure to retire from public life as he claimed he would when being sentenced in the tax fraud case.
Of course because this is the land of no consequences, the Shas party released a statement of their own, downplaying the judicial decision, saying, “Today the court actually ruled that the elections are meaningless. The court’s decision is political and tainted.” Deri’s supporters have made clear that the party leader would not resign his ministerial post even if the court ruling went against him. In a statement made after the ruling to his fellow party members, Deri said he would “continue the revolution even more strongly and with more force,” without going into detail.
The coming days and weeks will reveal the exact nature of Israel’s impending constitutional crisis. Coverage of the apartheid state’s self-inflicted ‘democratic demise’ will typically focus on how this instability affects the citizens of Israel. Always remember that this volatility won’t just touch the lives of everyday Israeli’s, it’ll shape the lives of Palestinians every day.
Side Items
New Zealand’s PM Out of Gas: Jacinda Ardern, leader of New Zealand for the past five and a half years, shocked citizens yesterday when she announced she will not seek re-election and will instead step down from her role in a matter of weeks. Ardern says she doesn’t have enough gas in the tank for the upcoming elections in October and will soon allow another leader of the Labour Party to take the reins. Jacinda will be remembered for any number of things, including giving birth during her time in power and her measured response to the mass shooting in Christchurch in 2019. She said, “I am human. Politicians are human. We give all that we can for as long as we can, and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time.”
Flo Rida vs. Energy Drinks: An iconic family-friendly rapper vs. a giant energy drink popular with teens. Here was a battle of biblical proportions. Florida native & rap extraordinaire Flo Rida (Tramar Dillard) was awarded $82.6 million yesterday after a South Florida jury found that the makers of Celsius energy drinks breached a contract and tried to hide money from him. For shame Celsius, you should’ve known better! Now this man is coming for both your apple-bottomed jeans AND your boots with the fur (WITH THE FUR!) Seriously though, that’s alot of money
Money Runs Faster Than Lightning: Even the fastest man in human history isn’t immune to a clever scam or two. Lawyers for Usain Bolt, the decorated Olympian and retired Jamaican sprinter, said that more than $12.7 million is missing from his account with a private investment firm in Jamaica. Stocks & Securities Limited (a generic/sketchy enough name for any financial institution), said that it discovered the fraud earlier this month and that several of its clients may be missing millions of dollars. Never the kind of thing you wanna hear from your bank