Justice minister: No need for Netanyahu to suspend himself

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked on Thursday said ongoing police investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not require him to suspend himself.

“The prime minister does not need to suspend himself, he needs to be able to function,” Shaked told Channel 2 news.

Shaked declined to comment further on the case due to her position.

Commenting as an MK from the Jewish Home party, Shaked said she hoped Netanyahu’s government would remain in power for duration of his term.

“This coalition is strong and good and I hope it survives for much longer,” she added.

Shaked’s remarks come amid reports that members of Netanyahu’s own Likud party have been preparing for various scenarios in case he is forced to resign over a criminal indictment.

Newly appointed deputy coalition chairman Oren Hazan said earlier Thursday there were “more than a few” party members already forming factions or mulling a run for the Likud chairmanship.

On Wednesday, Channel 10 quoted a Likud minister as saying the new details that have emerged in both investigations in recent days were “a game-changer.”

“You can smell it in the air that the era of Netanyahu is coming to an end. We need to prepare for the day after,” the unnamed minister was quoted as saying.

Netanyahu has been questioned under caution by police twice over suspicions he accepted luxury gifts from Israeli movie producer Arnon Milchan and other businessmen, including hundreds of thousands of shekels worth of cigars for the prime minister and pricey bottles of champagne for Sara Netanyahu.

The prime minister has also been question in a second case involving an alleged quid pro quo deal with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes.

The investigations have cast a pall over Netanyahu’s term, with some saying an indictment in either of the cases could force him from power.

The prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyer has insisted Netanyahu has done nothing illegal.