Netanyahu accused of fraud could cost him the post of Prime Minister of Israel

Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has announced that he is ready to charge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery and fraud. This significantly reduces Netanyahu's chances for re-election after the parliamentary elections on April 9, writes Reuters. But, despite the decline in popularity of the Likud party, which dominates the Knesset, the chances of the Israeli prime minister for a fourth term in a row remain, and he himself is not obliged to resign and does not intend to.

More. We are talking about indicting Netanyahu in three cases: about illegal preferences of the Bezeq media company in exchange for bribes and favorable coverage of the prime minister's activities in the media; about fraudulently receiving expensive gifts worth $264,000, mainly in the form of champagne and cigars; about a deal with the publisher of the Yediot Ahronot newspaper in order to create a positive image of the authorities.

This is the first precedent in Israel's history when such accusations threaten an incumbent prime minister.

The intention to bring charges does not mean that they will be brought: under Israeli law, Netanyahu will have a chance to justify himself before the Prosecutor General's Office during the hearings. However, hearings are likely to be scheduled after the April 9 elections.

Likud believes that the prosecutor general succumbed to the pressure of the center left bloc, the accusation is "political persecution", and his goal is "to influence the outcome of the elections outside the polling stations."

Netanyahu called the allegations slander and slander. “The accusations will fall apart when I bring dozens of witnesses who have never been interrogated in the case. All this is a lie, ” . the Jerusalem Post reports

Netanyahu pointed out that when he was prime minister, he managed to establish excellent relations with leading countries, and with his departure, Israel may lose them. “In Moscow, I met with Putin and told him that we will continue to cooperate to contain Iran. I have personally heard Trump praise me,” the Prime Minister said.

Context. A tight fight is expected in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Israel: Likud will be opposed by the newly formed center-left "Blue and White" bloc of parties of the former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Benny Gantz and former Finance Minister Yair Lapid.

If the joint list wins, Gantz will be prime minister of Israel for the first 2.5 years, then Lapid will take his post.

Sergei Smirnov