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Benyamin Netanyahu is under investigation in three corruption cases and wants parliamentary immunity. The Israeli Prime Minister formally announced this Wednesday evening. He therefore asked the Knesset, the Parliament, to grant him this protection which would postpone the prospect of a trial. It is now up to parliamentarians to decide.
With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Guilhem Delteil
While it is launched in a third electoral campaign in one year, the move is politically sensitive for Benjamin Netanyahu. The request for immunity is unpopular in Israel and the Prime Minister waited until the last hours before the expiration of the legal deadline granted to him to request it.
It is in the name of success as Prime Minister that he attributes himself and of a legal procedure that he describes as biased against him that Benyamin Netanyahu considers legitimate to obtain immunity.
At the head of the Israeli government for ten years, he claims to have led the country to unprecedented achievements, both strategic and economic. But he claims to be the victim of " falsified accusations ".
Benyamin Netanyahu defended himself from wanting to evade justice, ensuring that this possible immunity would only be temporary. But for his main rival, Benny Gantz , the request is not just a technical procedure. It " weakens ", he says, "the values in which we have been brought up : equality before the law ". For him, the country is now faced with a choice: " the kingdom of Netanyahu or the State of Israel, " he says.
Dear fellow citizens, the purpose of the law on immunity is to defend the elected representatives of the people against false accusations. I intend to go to court to dismiss all the charges against me. In order to be able to continue to lead Israel towards all these remarkable successes, I intend to request the immunity of the President of the Knesset to be in my right, to fulfill my duty and my mission: to continue serving you for the future Israel. As we complete a decade of spectacular achievements, the slogan of our rivals remains: "Everything except Bibi".
Allocution by Benyamin Netanyahu 01/01/2020 - by Michel Paul Play
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