The text of the bill does not specify whether, if passed, it would apply retroactively to charges brought before its enactment, such as those against Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
The bill also represents another front in the years-long effort by the right-wing government to weaken the judiciary.<\/p>\n
Opposition leaders decried the bill as an act of \u201cwar\u201d meant to enable the prime minister to evade justice. The bill\u2019s sponsors argue that the charge of fraud and breach of trust is vague and superfluous. They propose trashing it while more precisely delineating other types of corruption offenses.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n The bill is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation next week before advancing to its first vote in the Knesset. The sponsors of the bill are Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chair Simcha Rothman, a far-right Religious Zionism MK, coalition whip Ofir Katz of Likud, and New Hope MK Mishel Buskila.<\/p>\n They said that the offense \u201cseverely harms the principle of legality and the foundations of criminal law.\u201d They also claimed it is redundant since Israel already has other laws that address corruption, including prohibitions on bribery and money laundering.<\/p>\n They added that breach of trust is a \u201cvague offense\u201d that has been \u201csharply criticized by legal experts from across the political spectrum.\u201d They alleged, without evidence, that the charge has been used by the law enforcement system to \u201cpolice elected officials and public servants for conduct that is not defined as a crime under the Penal Code, and can retroactively determine what is considered criminal at their discretion.\u201d<\/p>\n \t The text of the bill would also establish \u201cclear offenses that currently have no adequate definition in law,\u201d including conflicts of interest regarding close relatives and governmental insider trading.<\/p>\n Opposition leaders immediately denounced the measure, calling it a \u201ccoup\u201d and a \u201cmafia-like\u201d attempt to free the prime minister and his allies from accountability for alleged crimes.<\/p>\n Several other cabinet members \u2014 Social Equality Minister May Golan and Energy Secretary Eli Cohen \u2014 as well as Likud MK David Bitan and Shas MK and former minister Haim Biton are also on trial for fraud and breach of trust, or are suspected of it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a reform; it is a full-fledged coup that will turn Israel into a failed, backward third-world country,\u201d wrote Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, chair of the centrist Yesh Atid party, in a post on X. \u201cThe coalition has declared war on a democratic, advanced Israel, and we will enlist and fight to protect it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will fight this madness in the Knesset, in the streets and in the courts, and we will stop it,\u201d Lapid added.<\/p>\n Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, called the bill a \u201cmafia-like move by a government whose senior figures are evading justice and the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe message to the public is clear: It is permissible to deceive and to betray the public\u2019s trust, as long as the seat of power remains secure,\u201d Golan added.<\/p>\n \t Netanyahu has made other attempts to circumvent his trial, including submitting a formal pardon request<\/a> to President Isaac Herzog in November, which is still being weighed. US President Donald Trump also sent his own letter<\/a> to Herzog requesting clemency for the prime minister.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s letter, sent earlier in November, came after he urged Herzog from the Knesset rostrum during an October speech to pardon Netanyahu.<\/p>\n The prime minister has consistently declared his innocence and decried the trial as a politically motivated witch hunt, and has not indicated any readiness to step down as prime minister.<\/p>\n The coalition has previously tried to advance bills to stymie Netanyahu\u2019s trial, including one in October to delay the trial<\/a>, which Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called \u201cunconstitutional.\u201d The coalition has likewise tried to fire and sideline Baharav-Miara, and to reduce the powers of her office.<\/p>\n It has also pushed for years, via several bills, to enact a contentious judicial overhaul that would weaken Israel\u2019s court system, and cabinet ministers have bashed High Court President Isaac Amit. Rothman is one of the overhaul\u2019s architects.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tA hearing in the trial against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Jerusalem District Court, December 31, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F260112YS117-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tYesh Atid leader Yair Lapid at a faction meeting at the Knesset, January 12, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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