During a Nov. 2 interview with Al-Monitor at the Knesset, a senior member of the Democratic Union expressed great frustration and a sense of helplessness over the events to come. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said, “If I were in [Blue and White leader] Benny Gantz’ shoes, I would take up the offer and give [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu five months as the first prime minister [in a rotation deal]. As it is, Netanyahu is already using all sorts of legal and parliamentary tricks to hold on to office and hold up everything else. Who knows what might happen if yet another election is held? We could easily find ourselves out of the Knesset, leaving Netanyahu the biggest winner.”
Two hours earlier, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit handed the criminal indictment against Netanyahu to Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein, giving the prime minister 30 days to seek Knesset immunity from prosecution. Mandelblit’s move set off a storm of speculation in the Knesset corridors as lawmakers tried to gauge its political ramifications. It's unclear whether the current Knesset is authorized to debate Netanyahu’s immunity request and whether Netanyahu will even take advantage of the 30 days allotted to him to ask the Knesset for immunity.