Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday became the country’s first prime minister to be indicted in office, on corruption charges, but defiantly condemned the “coup” against him and vowed to hold onto power.The shock announcement compounded the political chaos gripping Israel, which has been without a government for months and faces the prospect of its third election in a year.
“What is going on here is an attempt to stage a coup against the prime minister,” he charged in a televised address.He vowed to stay on as interim premier despite potential court dates and intense political pressure.Political rival Benny Gantz, who had been trying to form a coalition government, said it was a “very sad” day for Israel to indict a leader, but called on Netanyahu to “step down from his position and focus on the charges against him”.
Netanyahu is not legally required to resign unless he is convicted and any subsequent appeals process is exhausted, but political pressure is likely to be intense.The charges against Netanyahu range from receiving gifts worth thousands of dollars to a deal to change regulatory frameworks in favour of a media group in exchange for positive coverage.
“Law enforcement is not a choice. It is not a matter of right or left. It’s not a matter of politics.”
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: ANCALERTS - 🏆 26. / 50 Read more »
Source: ABSCBNNews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »
Source: inquirerdotnet - 🏆 3. / 86 Read more »
Source: inquirerdotnet - 🏆 3. / 86 Read more »
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »