Gideon Sa’ar, chair of New Hope party and the Justice Minister, defended Monday the legislation that would prevent a defendant from running for prime minister -- de facto disqualifying Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu from the position.

“The law is not personal, the objection is personal,” Sa’ar stressed.

“We experienced the significance of living under a criminally indicted prime minister, how the norms of the country became subjugated to personal interests,” the minister said.

“We cannot have the State of Israel in a similar situation in the future. The question is why not [pass the law]?” he added.