Li’l wiggle room for Bibi

Weakened Israeli leader faces new vote and crime rap

JERUSALEM — With Israel heading to its third straight election in a year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to buy some much-needed time as he tries to fend off a slew of criminal corruption charges.

But the embattled Israeli leader heads into the threemonth campaign weakened within his own party, facing additional legal questions about his political future and squaring off against an increasingly popular opponent.

Netanyahu (inset) has been reeling since Israel’s attorney general last month indicted him on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust for allegedly receiving gifts and trading favors with the rich and powerful. That indictment was at the heart of the political standoff that triggered the new elections, and it is sure to be the central issue of an upcoming campaign that is expected to result in a similar deadlock.

“We are about to hold a third election because of the legal problems faced by citizen Benjamin Netanyahu,” wrote Sima Kadmon, a commentator in the Yediot Ahronot daily.

Following Sept. 17 elections, neither Netanyahu nor his main rival, Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, was able to secure a governing majority. With the two sides together controlling a solid majority of seats, the easiest way out of the standoff appeared to be a power-sharing agreement. But the two men deadlocked over Netanyahu’s legal troubles.

Netanyahu insisted on remaining prime minister, a position where he is best-positioned to fight the criminal charges. Gantz, a former military chief, said a prime minister with such serious criminal charges could not lead the country.

After months of failed talks, parliament dissolved at a midnight deadline Wednesday, triggering new elections that were scheduled for March 2. It is the third election in under 12 months, after voting in September and April ended inconclusively.

Although opinion polls have forecast similar deadlock, the prospect of a new campaign offers Netanyahu a welcome breather from his legal troubles. Netanyahu is widely expected to ask parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution. But lawmakers in a caretaker government cannot rule on the question. That gives Netanyahu hope of mustering a more sympathetic parliament, while putting the question of immunity, and the start of his trial, on hold until next spring at the earliest.

The Likud party has so far stood firmly behind Netanyacountry’s hu, the longest-serving prime minister. But that support has begun to fray.

Gideon Saar, a popular lawmaker, has already announced he will challenge Netanyahu in a party primary scheduled on Dec. 26.

Speaking to the Kan radio station Thursday, Saar said Israel’s political system has sunk to a low point, and after two inconclusive elections, Netanyahu is “stuck.”

“We need a new hope. The country is going the wrong way. We need to mend the divide, to rehabilitate the public’s trust,” he said. “None of this will happen if we don’t make a change.”

Though early polls have indicated that Netanyahu will trounce his upstart challenger, Saar claims to have significant grassroots support. On Thursday, Kan reported that Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, another senior Likud member, was considering endorsing Saar.

Even if Netanyahu emerges victorious, a nasty primary challenge could leave him — and the party — weakened as it heads into the national campaign.

Under Israeli law, sitting prime ministers are not required to resign if charged with a crime.

For this reason, Netanyahu is desperate to remain on the job as he girds up for his trial. Netanyahu has used the post as a bully pulpit to accuse police and prosecutors of trying to stage an “attempted coup.”