Attorney general said to oppose immunity for Netanyahu

Israel’s Attorney General is sending a message that he won’t grant the prime minister immunity in a number of corruption cases winding through Israel’s judicial system.

By World Israel News Staff 

Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit is sending out the message through unnamed associates that he would not grant immunity to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the three cases of alleged corruption for which the prime minister faces pending indictments.

The associates cited in various media reports were speaking in reaction to a Haaretz report on Monday that claimed that former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked had used messengers to relay to Netanyahu that she could use her influence to convince Mandelblit to grant immunity to the premier.

Shaked also reportedly tried to make the case to Netanyahu that he needed her in order to stay out of jail.

She has denied the Haaretz report, calling it “low and ugly” and charging that it was part of a plan by her political opponents to damage her reputation at a time of her growing popularity.

Shaked was fired as justice minister by Netanyahu in June.

The Likud also denied the report. “Prime Minister Netanyahu does not need any politician to claim that the absurd allegations against him are without foundation and without precedent,” the party said in a statement.

On Tuesday night, Channel 13 reported that associates of the attorney general said that Mandelbit had never discussed the issue with Shaked, who is now the head of Yemina, a joint right-wing list running in the September Knesset election.

The attorney general’s associates also said that he would fight against immunity, according to Channel 13.

The Democratic Camp, a joint left-wing list running in the September ballot, called for an investigation into Shaked’s reported actions, with one of its leaders, Stav Shaffir, calling it “political bribery at its lowest.”