Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Bibi Netanyahu’s legal, as well as political, troubles played out on April 5, 2021 at his corruption trial, and also in the President’s Residence, as well…

Earlier, the Judges ordered Bibi to be in court for the prosecution’s opening argument on three cases, involving charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. At the same time, President Reuven Rivlin began talks with various parties over who should lead the next Government after a fourth inconclusive election on March 23, 2021.

Now, the question arises here: Can Netanyahu be on trial and remain the PM? Under Israeli law, a PM is under no obligation to stand down unless convicted. No other minister is protected in this way, though. Netanyahu, fondly known as Bibi, has pleaded not guilty, claiming that he is a victim of a witch hunt. Interestingly, bribery charges carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years and/or a fine, while fraud and breach of trust are punishable by up to three years in jail.

The PM had allegedly granted regulatory favours worth USD 500 million to Bezeq Telecom Israel. In return, according to prosecutors, Netanyahu sought positive coverage of himself and his wife, Sara, on a news website controlled by the company’s former chairperson. There are also fraud and breach of trust over allegations that he and his wife had received USD 210,000 worth of gifts from Arnon Milchan, a Hollywood Producer, and Australian billionaire businessman James Packer. He had also negotiated a deal with Arnon Mozes, the owner of Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, for better coverage in return for legislation to slow the growth of a rival daily.

According to sources close to the concerned authorities, the trial could take years. However, proceedings could be cut short if Netanyahu seeks a plea deal. The Israelis are closely monitoring the ongoing trial, as the corruption case against their PM was a polarising issue, in the recently-held Parliamentary Elections.

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/boundlessoceanofpolitics/

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kousdas?s=09

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundless-ocean-of-politics

Contact us: koushik@boundlessoceanofpolitics.co.in

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das