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)

Israeli police recommend bribery charges against Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli police have recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for bribery, opening the way for what could be the biggest challenge yet to the right-wing leader’s political survival.

Against the backdrop of Israeli flags in a televised speech at his residence on Wednesday (AEDT), a sombre Netanyahu called the allegations baseless and vowed to complete his fourth term in office.

It will be up to Israel’s attorney general to decide whether to file charges, a process that could take weeks if not months.

The recommendations, which police made public on Tuesday night local time, were at the more serious end of the range of charges that had been expected to be levelled against Netanyahu in two criminal investigations that have gone on for more than a year.

Read the article by Jeffrey Heller in the Australian Financial Review.