Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has withdrawn his request for immunity from prosecution, hours before parliamentary proceedings were set to begin.
In a statement issued on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, Netanyahu, who was visiting Washington ahead of the launch of President Donald Trump’s peace plan, said he “decided not to let this dirty game continue.”
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, was set to convene to discuss the formation of a committee to debate the prime minister’s request for immunity from prosecution.
Netanyahu was indicted on counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in November in three separate cases. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Netanyahu’s Likud party was planning to boycott the Knesset session.
“In this fateful hour for the people of Israel, when I am in the United States on a historic mission to design the permanent borders of Israel and ensure our security for decades to come, the Knesset is expected to open another exhibition in the circus of removing immunity,” Netanyahu wrote.
Read the article in The Canberra Times (AAP).