Netanyahu withdraws bid for parliamentary immunity
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew his bid for parliamentary immunity from prosecution on corruption charges, making a criminal trial against him a near certainty.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that an immunity debate in parliament would have been a “circus” and he did not want to take part in this “dirty game”.
He said that he informed the speaker of the Knesset that he was withdrawing my immunity request.
Within hours of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrawing his immunity request on Tuesday, Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit filed an indictment with the Jerusalem District Court against him for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Mandelblit had announced his final indictment on November 21, but could not file it with the courts until the immunity request process was concluded.
Netanyahu, who will face a national election in March, is under no legal obligation to resign.
Hours after announcing the indictment on November 21, Mandelblit gave a speech in which he said that it was personally sad for him to indict Netanyahu, who he personally admires greatly in terms of talents, but that he was obligated by the law to do so.
He said that no man is above the law and that enforcing the law should not be used as a political football by either the Left or the Right.
