Israel's Parliament to Start Discussing PM’s Immunity Request

An Israeli Parliament committee, known as the Knesset’s Arrangements Committee, is set to meet Monday to start processing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for immunity from prosecution in the three corruption cases against him.

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The Arrangements Committee - headed by a Blue and White (Benny Gantz's party) opposition party member - will create a temporary House Committee to discuss Netanyahu’s request.

The Knesset’s legal adviser Eyal Yinon issued a ruling Sunday saying the parliament’s Speaker Yuli Edelstein - a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party - cannot block the committee's meeting nor its creation. Likud had presented a petition to the High Court seeking an order against the ruling.

The prime minister and his allies argued the House Committee should not be formed because the Israeli government is in transition, but also because the time for properly processing the request before the next election is insufficient. The legislative election, the third poll in less than a year, will be held on March 2.

But Yinon said that although the country is currently governed by a transitional government, there is no legal obstruction to the formation of the House Committee.

With the current balance of power within the Knesset, the majority of lawmakers are expected to reject Netanyahu’s immunity request, leading to his formal indictment before the election.

Israeli law states that a sitting prime minister when charged can continue to serve his term until the final verdict is emitted and after all avenues of appeal are exhausted.

Netanyahu had hoped to delay his appearance in court until after the election, but the opposition Blue and White party is optimistic that the committee will start to debate as soon as Monday and deny Netanyahu’s request within three weeks, with time to spare before March 2.

In November, Netanyahu became the first serving prime minister to be criminally charged after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced the premier’s indictment for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Netanyahu denies the charges and has been accusing prosecutors and some media of a witch hunt.