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Netanyahu’s Day of Atonement

Gideon Saar was the first Likud member to make known his intention to challenge Benjamin Netanyahu for leadership of the party, but he is not alone in wanting to assume the crown.
05 September 2019, Israel, Tel Aviv: Member if the Israeli Likud party ,Gideon Saar, speaks at the Channel 12 News Conference in Tel Aviv. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa (Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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According to Israeli Justice Ministry sources, the four-day hearing during which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team sought to convince Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to dismiss the pending indictments against him, or to at least to lessen the charges, had ended inconclusively. Right after Yom Kippur, which falls on Oct. 9, Mandelblit will embark on a marathon of consultations and summaries before reaching a conclusion about the allegations against Netanyahu by mid-December. Barring unexpected developments, Mandelblit’s decision is expected to make Israeli history, resulting in indictments on charges of corruption against an incumbent prime minister. Leaks from the discussions over the coming month will directly affect Netanyahu’s political future and his prospects for forming a new government.

Netanyahu himself is far from conceding defeat. He will fight to the last minute and the final bullet. Contrary to his original intention, he did not rush to return the mandate he received from President Reuven Rivlin after the Sept. 17 elections to form a government. On Oct. 10, the Likud Central Committee is scheduled to convene to decide whether Netanyahu, and he alone, will be the party’s candidate for prime minister. Netanyahu, chronically suspicious and especially now, asked for this strange, unnecessary vote, knowing that behind the smiles and staunch declarations of support by the Likud leadership, the knives are at the ready. Behind the scenes and under the radar, a vicious battle is already underway to succeed Netanyahu. The incumbent refuses to step aside, however, and the legacy he leaves his successor, if any, will be scorched earth.

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