Netanyahu Reportedly Considering Plea Deal in Corruption Cases

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded to news reports that his predecessor Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu, is seriously considering signing a plea deal in the three corruption cases against him. “The political commentators can set aside their speculation and their graphs and stop worrying. The government of Israel is working and will continue to work well and quietly, day by day, for the citizens of Israel,” Bennett said during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, amid speculation that if Netanyahu signs such a deal then the government, held together by its desire to keep Netanyahu out of the PM’s seat, would fall apart. The news reports are citing unnamed sources close to Netanyahu as not denying the possibility but also not specifically confirming that a plea deal is in play. Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit is stepping down from his position on February 1; future A-Gs are unlikely to proffer a deal. Meanwhile, former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak confirmed in an interview on Saturday with Ynet that he agreed to Netanyahu’s request to help mediate a deal with Mandelblit. Mandelblit reportedly has conditioned any plea deal on allowing the court to rule on whether Netanyahu should be found to have acted with moral turpitude, which would ban him from public office for seven years. Netanyahu wants to be able to remain in politics. This requirement of Mandelblit is currently the subject of informal negotiations between representatives of Netanyahu and the attorney-general, according to reports. Netanyahu’s defense attorneys Boaz Ben-Zur and Amit Hadad reportedly support a plea deal in the corruption cases, known as cases 1000, 2000 and 4000.