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DAILY DOSE | The immunity law could save Netanyahu from standing trial on three separate corruption cases. At this point, some Netanyahu supporters are not sure this bill is a good idea. Our Ellie Hochenberg has the story.
Story:
One of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies on Wednesday tabled proposed legislation that would help protect politicians from criminal prosecution, in a bid to help the incumbent premier avoid indictment, pending a hearing, for corruption charges announced against him last week.
The measure was put forth by Bezalel Smotrich, chair of the nationalist National Union faction which sits in an alliance of right-wing parties that also includes the religious-nationalist Jewish Home party and the far-right Jewish Power party.
Parliament speaker Yuli Edelstein, number two on the Likud party list led by Netanyahu, told i24NEWS last week that no such legislation would pass in Israel so long as he serves as speaker.
But Smotrich nonetheless tabled a motion Wednesday that would give lawmakers increased powers to block charges being brought against sitting parliament members, including the prime minister, by altering parliamentary immunity laws so that indictments can only be filed against lawmakers after the Knesset has given its approval.
Netanyahu, who is facing possible indictment for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust in three criminal corruption probes, is reportedly predicating participation in a post-election coalition led by him on potential partners’ support for a so-called “French law”, named after the French presidency’s constitutionally-guaranteed legal immunity that protects the sitting leader from being requested to testify or face prosecution on any matter while in office.
Deriding last week’s announcement by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit as an ongoing conspiracy by the “deep state” to “overthrow the right-wing government”, Smoterich said the bill would “allow Knesset members to supervise the work of the executive branch without fear or worry of cases being fabricated or of political persecution by endless investigations as a tool for political assassinations.”
The measure would revert rules surrounding parliamentary immunity, which today must be granted by vote, to a practice overhauled 12 years ago in which lawmakers may block an indictment by refusing to approve the stripping of a colleague’s immunity.
“The proposal is to restore the legal situation that existed prior to the amendment of the law in 2005,” Smotrich’s bill reads, “and to determine if, for the purpose of filing an indictment against a Knesset member, the immunity will be removed by the Knesset.”
The Union of Right Wing Parties, in which Smotrich occupies the number two spot, was promised two ministerial portfolios by Netanyahu in exchange for partnering with the fledgling far-right Jewish Power party in order to consolidate right-wing votes.
Netanyahu is facing a hard-fought bid for re-election, with the announcement of indictments pending against him marking the first time in Israel’s history that a sitting prime minister has been told he faces criminal charges.
Netanyahu has been slapped with the most laden charges -- bribery, fraud and breach of trust -- in what is known as "Case 4,000", in which police suspect that Netanyahu granted regulatory benefits to telecommunications giant Bezeq in exchange for positive news coverage by the Walla news website, which is owned by Bezeq’s controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch.
He faces charges of fraud and breach of trust charges in two other cases, known as “Case 1,000” and “Case 2,000”.
In “Case 1,000”, Netanyahu is suspected of accepting illicit gifts from a number of wealthy benefactors in exchange for political favors and preferential treatment.
"Case 2,000" centers on a quid-pro-quo arrangement with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes to limit circulation of the newspaper's main rival in exchange for more favorable coverage.
Netanyahu has slammed the announcement of his indictment pending a hearing as a "witch hunt" orchestrated by the media and left-wing in order to topple him.
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