Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu swamped by scandals

Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandleblit announced Friday that he is considering indicting Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for spending over $100,000 of government money on personal meals.

The nearing indictment is part of a quartet of corruption scandals linked to the Netanyahu family that threatens the career of Israel’s prime minister, despite the dominance of his right-wing Likud Party

As the fallout from the scandal grows, Bibi’s rhetoric has escalated, castigating the “elites”, “fake news” and “left-wing media” for supposedly smearing his character after failing to beat him at the polls.

Israelis are having none of it. Two-thirds of citizens, fewer than half of whom believe  he is innocent, want Netanyahu to step down if indicted. An indictment of either Sara or Bibi could well lead to a no confidence vote in the Knesset, triggering new elections. Although Netanyahu’s party remains popular— recent polls have it leading its nearest competitor by 10-20 seats—indictments of the Netanyahu family could lead to the Likud’s first loss since 2006.