Top Israeli court hears challenges to law limiting grounds for PM’s removal

Israel's Supreme Court heard arguments on Thursday against a law passed by the ruling coalition limiting conditions for any removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office, in the latest showdown among branches of government to grip the nation. Political watchdog groups and an opposition party have challenged the March 23 amendment to a quasi-constitutional "Basic Law", which Netanyahu's own attorney-general described as designed to preserve his tenure amid a long-running graft trial. Eleven of the Supreme Court's 15 judges convened for the televised hearing, presided over by Chief Justice Esther Hayut, who retires next month.