Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust arising from three separate corruption investigations, pending a hearing, according to a source with direct knowledge of the decision by Israel’s attorney general.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s intention to indict the Prime Minister so close to April’s general election marks a dramatic moment in Israeli politics and is a major blow to Netanyahu as he seeks a fifth term in office.
Netanyahu’s opponents will likely look to exploit a heightened sense of damage to the Prime Minister’s reputation, while his coalition partners must now decide whether to support a leader who looks set to be indicted, or withdraw their support and risk alienating their shared right-wing voter base.