Shutterstock | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was formally indicted on corruption charges on Tuesday, hours before he was scheduled to meet with President Trump to unveil the Middle East plan that has been long-anticipated by the U.S.
The charges that Netanyahu faces include breach of trust, fraud and bribery, though he claims he is innocent. He blames the left and the media for this “attempted coup” against him.
These charges against Netanyahu mean that he is now the first Prime Minister to ever face trial in the country’s history. Under Israeli law, he is not required to resign.
However, if he is convicted he will then have to resign, and that conviction would be upheld through the appeals process.
A trial date has not been set. The proceedings could take years.
Netanyahu was scheduled to appear with Trump on Tuesday to introduce the Trump administration’s plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page about the “historic” opportunity before he was indicted:
“At this fateful hour for the people of Israel, while I am in the United States on a historic mission to shape the final borders of Israel and safeguard our security for generations to come, another show in the immunity-removal circus is set to begin.
“This is the continuation of a personal and obsessive hunt against me by the ‘Anyone But Bibi’ people,” he continued.
“Instead of understanding the magnitude of the hour and rising above political considerations, they continue to deal in cheap politics that endangers a crucial moment in the history of the nation.
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“I will not allow my political opponents to use this matter to interfere with the historical move I’m leading,” he said.
His rival, Benny Gantz, took to Twitter and said, “Netanyahu goes to trial. We must proceed.
“The citizens of Israel have a clear choice—a Prime Minister that will work for them or a Prime Minister dealing with himself. No one can run a country and at the same time run three severe criminal cases on bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.”
