Netanyahu rejects calls to step down
Occupied jerusalem — Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to step down on Wednesday after police recommended his indictment for corruption, the biggest challenge yet to the radical premier’s long tenure in power.
Netanyahu again came out swinging on Wednesday morning, harshly criticising the police investigation against him while making clear he has no intention of resigning.
His governing coalition, seen as the most radical in Israeli history, appears firm for now. “I can reassure you that the coalition is stable,” Netanyahu said at an event in Tel Aviv.
“Neither me nor anyone else has plans for elections. We’re going to continue to work together for the good of Israeli citizens until the end of the term.”
Netanyahu, prime minister for a total of nearly 12 years, also harshly denounced the police recommendations against him as “full of holes, like Swiss cheese”. He said the police report “misleads” and is “contrary to the truth and logic”.
Police recommended on Tuesday that he be indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of public trust after a long-running investigation.
The attorney-general must now decide how to move forward with the case, a process that could take months.
Avi Gabbay, leader of the opposition Labour party, said the “Netanyahu era is over” and called on him to step down. “He is unworthy to continue to be prime minister of Israel. It’s very simple,” Gabbay told Ynet news site.
Tzipi Livni, part of the main opposition Zionist Union alliance that also includes Labour, criticised what she called a campaign to undermine the police.
But at the same time, a key coalition minister made clear on Wednesday he was remaining in the government, though he also criticised Netanyahu’s behaviour.
“A prime minister is not meant to be perfect or live an over-modest lifestyle, but he needs to be someone people look at and say: ‘This is how one should act’,” education minister Naftali Bennett said in a speech in Tel Aviv.
“Taking gifts in large sums over a long period of time is not living up to this standard,” he added.
Bennett heads the far-right party Jewish Home, which holds eight seats in parliament. Netanyahu’s coalition controls 66 out of 120 seats in total.
Moshe Kahlon, whose Kulanu party controls 10 seats, will also be among those facing tough questions over whether he will stick with Netanyahu.
Police have been investigating Netanyahu over suspicions that he and his family received expensive gifts from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. —