Prime Minister Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, February 15, 2017. / AFP / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Netanyahu backs away from law rewrite seen as protecting him

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that a draft bill that sets limits on police investigators should be revised so it does not apply to criminal probes in which he is a suspect.

The proposed legislation, which has sparked protests in Israel, would prohibit the police from publicising whether they have found sufficient grounds to charge a suspect.

Critics say the bill is an attempt to protect Netanyahu and keep the public in the dark regarding ongoing investigations in which he is a suspect, but its supporters said it is intended to protect suspects’ legal rights and reputations.

Some 20,000 Israelis demonstrated against the bill in Tel Aviv on Saturday and, as public pressure mounted, support among coalition members for the bill began to wane on Sunday, a day before parliament was expected to ratify it.

Read the article in the Sydney Morning Herald (Reuters).