Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today, Tuesday, that he will withdraw his request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution for corruption charges, indicating that he does not want to hinder the parliamentary deliberations of the "Deal of the Century".
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, posted a statement on Facebook saying that immunity measures in parliament would have been "circa" and that he did not want to participate in this "dirty game".
"I told the Speaker of the Knesset that I am withdrawing my request for immunity," he said.
Netanyahu expressed his fear that the ongoing deliberations on seeking immunity will affect "the crucial steps regarding the American peace plan."
The case is now on trial, a process that could take months or years. There is no legal obligation for Netanyahu to resign over the case. The right-wing prime minister faces a general election in March.
And Netanyahu, 70, is currently in Washington to hold meetings with US President Donald Trump before the publication of the US Middle East peace plan, the "deal of the century" that has been postponed more than once and which the Palestinians have already rejected.
Netanyahu's main opponent, centrist former general Benny Gantz, focused on Netanyahu's legal problems and made it part of his election campaigns in the previous two rounds of elections in Israel last year.
Gantz made a short visit to Washington to discuss the peace plan with Trump and was quick to return to Israel in light of expectations that he would lead the debate in parliament to not grant Netanyahu immunity.
"Netanyahu will stand trial ... We have to go ahead," Gantz said after Netanyahu withdrew his immunity request.
“The Israelis have a clear choice: either a prime minister who works for them or a busy prime minister himself,” he added in a tweet on Twitter. "No one can run the country and deal with three serious criminal cases at the same time."
Netanyahu could face a prison sentence of ten years if he is convicted of bribery and a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment if he is convicted of fraud and breach of trust.