Top Israeli legal official tells Netanyahu to fire key ally

By TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s attorney general has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he must fire a key Cabinet ally following a court ruling disqualifying the minister from serving in government. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s letter, made public Thursday, compounds the pressure on Netanyahu to fire Aryeh Deri, which could destabilize the premier’s coalition government. It would also likely exacerbate a dispute over the power of the judicial system and the government’s bid to overhaul it. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Deri, a longtime Netanyahu ally who leads the government’s third-largest party, cannot serve as a Cabinet minister because of a tax fraud conviction and Netanyahu must fire him.