Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich says he disagrees with his far-right electoral partner Itamar Ben Gvir’s support for legislation that would cancel opposition chief Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing trial on graft charges.
In a recording released earlier today, Ben Gvir could be heard saying that if he is part of the next government, he will advance the so-called so-called French Law barring police from probing corruption suspicions against premiers, and push to have it applied retroactively.
“No, my program is clear,” Smotrich says in an interview with the Galei Yisrael radio station.
Smotrich, who is running on a joint slate with Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit faction, touts his own proposes electoral reforms — which include drastically curbing judicial authority and scrubbing the criminal charges of fraud and breach of trust from the criminal code.
Netanyahu was charged with fraud and breach of trust in three separates cases, as well as bribery in one of them. Smotrich has insisted that if passed, his proposal to get rid of the charges would not impact ongoing cases.
“Netanyahu’s trial is the best thing helping us,” he asserts in regards to his proposals.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this