Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dropped his bid for parliamentary immunity from prosecution on corruption charges, exposing the embattled leader to a possible trial that would decide his personal and political future.
Mr. Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three corruption probes, making him the first Israeli prime minister to be criminally charged while in office. He denies wrongdoing and asked lawmakers to grant him immunity from the charges earlier this month. The request paused the indictment process ahead of an election in March, the third such vote in a year. But parliamentary discussion of his immunity request threatened to keep the issue central to the election campaign.
The Israeli premier announced his retraction in a Facebook post on Tuesday, an hour before parliament was set to vote on key measures that would have likely led to his immunity request being denied. A majority of lawmakers had vowed to refuse him protection from prosecution.
Mr. Netanyahu, who is in Washington for the unveiling of President Trump’s Middle East peace plan, said he didn’t want the ensuing debate over his immunity to overshadow that event Tuesday. People briefed on the contents of the peace plan described it as heavily tilted toward the Israeli position on key issues.
“At this fateful hour for the people of Israel, at a time when I’m in the U.S. for a historic mission to shape Israel’s permanent borders and secure its safety for the coming generations, another show of the removing immunity circus is expected in parliament,” Mr. Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page.
With the immunity request withdrawn, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed the indictment against the prime minister with Jerusalem’s district court, his office said.
The court will decide when the trial begins. Some legal analysts say it is unlikely to start before the next election because of the unprecedented nature of indicting a sitting prime minister.
Mr. Netanyahu can’t seek parliamentary immunity from the current indictment again and would still face trial if he wins the coming election.
His legal troubles have contributed to a period of political paralysis in Israel. Neither Mr. Netanyahu nor his political rivals were able to form a government after back-to-back elections in April and September, with the country bitterly divided over whether Mr. Netanyahu should continue as leader while facing corruption allegations.
The prime minister has vowed to continue fighting the charges, which he has described as a witch hunt. He retains the support of his Likud party and other right-wing political allies, having won a party leadership vote in December by a large margin.
Parliament’s discussion of his immunity request on Tuesday was scheduled well before Mr. Netanyahu announced his plan to travel to Washington.
By withdrawing the call for immunity, Mr. Netanyahu appears to have avoided a possible parliamentary defeat and weeks of discussions about his legal troubles that could have dented his re-election campaign.
Benny Gantz, Mr. Netanyahu’s main political rival who met President Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss the peace plan, said Israelis should consider the sitting prime minister’s legal troubles when voting in the March election.
“Netanyahu is going to trial. Before the citizens of Israel is a clear choice: a prime minister who will work for them or a prime minister who is busy with himself,” Mr. Gantz, who is leader of the Blue and White party, wrote in a tweet.
Political opponents accuse Mr. Netanyahu of striving to stay in power at any cost—including dragging Israel into a new election cycle—to preside over a government that would be more likely to grant him immunity from prosecution.
The most serious charge he faces, that of bribery, carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Still, some analysts suggest the prime minister’s large and committed base won't be deterred by legal proceedings against him, while others say he might seek a plea deal. The latest polls indicate Israeli voters will stick to previous voting patterns in March, likely leading to another hung parliament.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/israels-netanyahu-withdraws-immunity-request-over-corruption-charges-11580202673
2020-01-28 14:12:00Z
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