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Election 2020: Netanyahu's quest for immunity

Unlike the campaigns for elections held in April and September, in the next election cycle the issue of immunity from criminal trial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be squarely on the table for his opponents as well as himself to use.
Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu protest outside his residence following Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's indictment ruling in Jerusalem November 21, 2019. The placards in Hebrew read, "Strong in security Strong in Economy ". REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC2UFD9PGBE1
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has less than 20 days left to ask the Speaker of the Knesset for immunity from trial. Everything seems to indicate that the request will soon come. After it does, the request will become the central, and perhaps decisive, issue of the March 2, 2020, election.

Unlike the elections this year in April and September, in the forthcoming vote the issue of immunity will be set clearly on the table, without filters or distortion. As Knesset member David Bitan stated candidly on Dec. 11 just before the 22nd Knesset dissolved itself and Israelis prepared for another election, “[Netanyahu] is running. He is looking for another chance to win 61 seats and maybe even get immunity.” Miki Zohar, chairman of the Likud's Knesset faction, has been using every available opportunity to say that he will recommend that Netanyahu request immunity, as is his legal right. It doesn’t look like he will have to try too hard to convince the prime minister to do so.

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