Netanyahu Being Indicted for Corruption, Polls Show Israelis Want Him Out

by Benjamin Kerstein – The Algemeiner

A new poll taken after Israel’s attorney general announced that he will indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges shows that Netanyahu would not be able to form a right-wing government if elections were held today, and that 68 percent of the Israeli public wants him to resign now or after he is formally indicted.

The announcement of intent to indict was made on Thursday and charged Netanyahu with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in corruption cases dealing with gifts from supporters and alleged media collusion to give the prime minister favorable coverage in return for political and regulatory favors.

Netanyahu responded to the announcement with a combative speech in which he declared the investigation a left-wing witch hunt intended to aid the election of his primary rivals — the Blue and White party led by ex-IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid.

According to the poll published by Israeli broadcaster Kan, the announcement has weakened Netanyahu’s Likud and boosted Blue and White. If the elections were held today, Blue and White would receive 37 seats and Likud 29.

The right-wing New Right party would receive seven seats, as would the Haredi party Yehadut Ha’Torah and the Arab bloc Hadash-Ta’al. The left-wing parties Labour and Meretz would receive six seats respectively, as would Haredi party Shas. Centrist party Kulanu, the national religious bloc Union of Right-Wing Parties, and leftist Arab bloc Balad-Raam would all receive five. Three right-wing parties would not garner enough votes to enter the Knesset – Gesher, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Zehut.

These results render Netanyahu unable to put together the type of narrow right-wing coalition he has preferred in the past, and make it very likely that Blue and White would receive enough recommendations from the smaller parties to be called on by the president to form a government.

The poll revealed more bad news for Netanyahu: 36 percent of respondents said he should resign immediately, while 32 percent felt he should do so after the indictments are officially issued. Only 23 percent said he should continue in office and eight percent said they didn’t know.

Those surveyed were also asked whether they believe Netanyahu’s claim that the attorney general made his decision due to pressure from the left and the media — 59 percent said the attorney general acted from professional considerations, while 42 percent agreed with Netanyahu.

Elections will be held on April 9.

7 Comments

  • leftists at it full time

    it’s amazing how the left plays the same card all over and I have no doubt that George Soros is funding most of it or all of it.

  • Crown Heights Resident

    In my opinion, the spiritual reason for this is because Netanyahu didn’t recapture parts of Gaza (Gush Katif) in response to the 1000+ missiles the Palestinians shot into Israel in 2018.

    If Netanyahu would have Liberated Gush Katif he would have had the full support of Donald Trump.

  • #3

    Refreshing to see the clarity in your post and not parroting the spin about the leftists.

    Moshiach NOW!!

  • Seen from another prospective -

    We must realize that Hashem is runnning the world and we are very close to the geula.
    A spiritual reason for what is happening with netanyahu is netanyahu acting afraid of what the goyim think.
    He allowed the uprooting of amona and other settlements and he stopped the uprooting of arab settlements that the court said to uproot.
    Netanyahu is a danger of giving into Trump with the peace treaty.
    Also netanyahu agreed to reform having a section at the kotel.

    The fact that we are very close to geula has a lot to do with what is happening according to rabbi mendel kessin who is a well known lecturer about world events as they relate to divine prophesy.
    Rabbi kessin predicted Trump becoming president months before he was elected.
    Rabbi kessin says that Sa ar who is frum and popular, and 4th in likud standing, may end up taking netanyahus place and would make israel have a frum PM and bring israel to tshuvah for the geula

    • Milhouse

      Saar is not frum. He does keep Shabbos, which is something he took on a few years ago. Let’s hope he starts taking on more mitzvos. But he’s a long way from becoming “officially” observant.