"Whatever the court decides is legitimate." 
The Jerusalem District Court is set to decide Thursday whether former Shas party leader Aryeh Deri will be allowed to run for mayor of Jerusalem in the coming elections.
Deri finished a prison term six years ago after being found guilty of corruption, which he consistently denied. The law requires a waiting period after jail time before the person may return to the public political arena. When Deri was sentenced, the required period of waiting was six years; since then the law has changed to seven.
Deri's attorneys argued that at the time Deri was sentenced, the law was six years and that the new law can not be applied retroactively. His attorneys explain that the prohibition against running for office is to an extent a punishment, and that it is inappropriate to punish under the new law retroactively.
State representative Inat Golomb, for the prosecution, claimed that the waiting period is not "punishment" and therefore could be extended to fit the changed law.
Deri told IDF Army Radio that he does not have any "struggle" with the court, and that he does not intend to start one. "Whatever the court decides is legitimate," he said.