Yesh Atid leader decries law to protect PM as ’embarrassing’

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid slams the government for advancing a bill to shield Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from criminal prosecution.

“It hasn’t been a day since the Knesset has resumed, and we are already embarrassed,” says Lapid, referring to political wheeling-dealing on Sunday over a proposal by Likud MK David Amsalem to grant sitting prime ministers immunity.

“This is the law of Benjamin Netanyahu — call it by its real name — to stop the investigations,” says Lapid of the bill, rejecting comparisons to French laws.

He says Netanyahu will be forced to give testimony in the so-called Case 3000, which involves Germany’s sales of submarines to Israel, and in which Netanyahu is not a suspect. But Lapid says he cannot offer any other information, as he gave his own testimony to police in the case.

Lapid further attacks the government for its plan to relegislate the ultra-Orthodox draft law and strongly criticizes the wave of Haredi protests last week.

— Marissa Newman