BICOM

Several Israeli politicians have voiced their support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the corruption investigations around him intensify.

Before Sunday, Netanyahu had publicly received support from only a small group of Likud members such as Transport and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz, Culture Minister Miri Regev, Ayoub Kara and Tzachi Hanegbi.

However, yesterday, Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, considered a potential successor to Netanyahu, said that “the Prime Minister is leading the State of Israel responsibly and professionally and we must support him in light of the political and media attacks against him”, adding “the claims the Prime Minister is guilty until proven otherwise are ludicrous and have no place in a democratic state.”

Gidon Saar, another strong contender to succeed Netanyahu as the next Likud leader, also came out in support, writing on Facebook: “There are no grounds for the Prime Minister to resign, and this is wrong,” adding that he hopes Netanyahu “is ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.”

They were joined by Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Avi Dichter who said that: “Like many others, I completely reject those who try to convict Netanyahu before he is questioned, and sentence him before the court has done so. Slogans such as ‘guilty until proven innocent’ serve as further proof that the campaign being conducted is not only against Netanyahu, but against the entire Likud.”

Jewish Home chairman and key member of the coalition Naftali Bennett emphasised that “the Prime Minister is presumed innocent and I hope that the investigation will conclude without an indictment.” He urged others to refrain from “pressuring” law enforcement officials.

However, Netanyahu has been targeted by the opposition for his involvement in the corruption cases. Zionist Union MK Yoel Hasson said that the sheer existence of the investigations is “because the Prime Minister is apparently a corrupt man, with a corrupt environment and with people who did things that are currently being exposed, and the Israeli public does not deserve leadership of this kind”.

Last Friday, following the announcement of a state witness deal with his former Chief of Staff with Ari Harow, Netanyahu said that the investigations against him were “background noise” and that he was focused on working on behalf of Israeli citizens.