Israeli AG: Netanyahu cannot be involved in legal overhaul

By TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s attorney general says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must not be involved in an overhaul of the country’s judicial system proposed by his government. She said if he gets involved, he risks a conflict of interest in his ongoing corruption trial. The attorney general’s stance, made public Thursday, is likely to deepen a rift in Israel over the power of the judiciary, which has roiled the country since the government took power late last year. Netanyahu’s new far-right government has made changing the legal system a centerpiece of its legislative agenda, despite mounting public criticism. Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. He denies wrongdoing.