Israeli high court: Netanyahu must fire key Cabinet ally

By TIA GOLDENBERG and LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must fire a key ally from the country’s new Cabinet. The decision Wednesday by 10 of the 11 judges presents the Israeli leader with a potential coalition crisis and deepens a rift over the power of the courts. The high court ruled that Aryeh Deri, the influential head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party and a longtime Netanyahu ally, cannot serve as a minister after he was convicted last year for tax offenses and placed on probation as part of a plea deal. The hotly anticipated ruling comes as Israel is being roiled by sweeping changes to the country’s legal system.