Poll: Israeli public against Netanyahu plea bargain
2 Min Read
Most of the poll participants believe that Netanyahu is guilty of corruption charges.
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Former Israeli PM and notorious war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli media released polls on Sunday that suggest most Israelis do not support a plea bargain for the former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is on trial since 2020 for corruption, bribery, breach of trust, and fraud. He previously claimed the charges were part of a "political witch hunt" and personally attacked the prosecution, alleging the Israeli police was also part of the conspiracy.
According to Kan poll, 49 percent of those who responded believed Netanyahu's cases should be given sentencing, compared to 28 percent that supports a plea bargain.
The majority of those polled believe Netanyahu is guilty of the charges.
If the deal goes through and Netanyahu accepts it, then he will admit to two counts of breach of trust, which will mean that he will receive a suspended sentence, in addition to a few months of jail time, which will be turned into community service.
Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit seems to be set on bringing charges of "moral turpitude" on Netanyahu. The former PM and war criminal seems to be trying to avoid this charge, because it would ban him from political life for seven years, effectively ending his political career.
Netanyahu has not had it so good these past couple of years, with many from his inner circle implicated in the Pandora Papers, ending up losing to Bennett and Lapid after four elections, a political gaffe in which he voted with his rivals on the budget, being lambasted in Israeli media, Donald Trump who felt "used" by the Israeli PM and lambasting him as a result, and Likud infighting that has Netanyahu losing power.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
