Former Israel PM to negotiate plea bargain

TEL AVIV (Transatlantic Today) – According to press reports, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is discussing a plea deal to conclude his corruption trial.

Netanyahu, who resigned as Prime Minister in June after 12 years in office and is now the head of the opposition, has pleaded not guilty to allegations of bribery, breach of trust, and fraud in 3 cases for which he was accused in 2019. All of them are being put to the test at the same time.

A source familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press news agency on Sunday that the deal may be signed as soon as this week. Any agreement might save Netanyahu from a humiliating and lengthy trial over a contentious topic that has engulfed the country.

According to Al Jazeera, talks have stalled over a provision that would force Netanyahu out of politics.

Netanyahu, 72, was reportedly negotiating an agreement with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in which he would plead guilty to lesser charges and have any subsequent prison sentence commuted to community service, according to the source.

However, the talks have reached a snag over Netanyahu’s insistence to avoid a conviction with a “moral turpitude” provision, which would force him to leave politics for a long time under Israeli law, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Reporters. The State Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.

On Saturday evening, demonstrators assembled outside the attorney general’s office to condemn the ongoing deal. Any agreement will almost certainly be contested in court.

Netanyahu’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Netanyahu has denied all accusations and accused the prosecution of conducting a politically driven witch hunt.

Netanyahu has vowed to depose his successor, Naftali Bennett, a nationalist who is a member of an alliance of diverse parties.

Last year, Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party totally failed to form a new government, in part due to refusals from like-minded parties to join him, citing the current trial.

With his legal problems behind him, Netanyahu could theoretically form a new right-wing alliance. Right-wing members of Bennett’s coalition might create a new cabinet with a Likud party led by a new leader if he is excluded from politics.

Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak endorsed the idea of a plea bargain.

He told Kan radio that it would relieve pressure on the court system, which has spent years protecting itself against claims from Netanyahu supporters that he was denied procedural fairness.

A Likud spokeswoman claimed he was unaware of any such discussions.