MK (Bayit Yehudi) Betzalel Smotrich is chairman of the Ichud Leumi faction, which is once again running together with Bayit Yehudi, and in this election, with Otzma Yehudit as well under the United Right-Wing Parties banner. Smotrich is working to provide a legal protective shield for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who according to the attorney general, will be indicted in several cases against him.

Smotrich has announced that if Netanyahu forms the next coalition government, hopes to pass a new bill into law, entitled “Knesset members immunity, their rights, and their obligations,” which he plans to move ahead with almost immediately following the creation of the next coalition government. According to a report in Yediot Achronot, he plans to move ahead with the passing of the so-called French Law as well, a law that protects a serving Prime Minister from being targeted in a criminal investigation. This law however would come too late for Mr. Netanyahu was already been investigated, and the attorney general has announced he does plan to move ahead with criminal indictments in some of the cases.

What Smotrich hopes to do is to revert back to the old law Parliamentary Immunity Law which is been modified, as the original version protected members of Knesset from criminal prosecution, and this would shield the prime minister as well. According to the old version of the law, in order to prosecute, the majority of the Knesset would have to vote to lift and MKs parliamentary immunity.

It is pointed out that this does not mean an elected official will not be prosecuted under the law, but it does mean when serving in office he will be able to carry out his duties without fear and will only be prosecuted after leaving office. Smotrich points out that the law was good for 60 years, until 2005 and it was amended, and he would like to see the law revert back to what was prior to then. He feels that there is a strong movement of people trying to unseat the current coalition, and he feels by protecting elected officials as used to be the case, is a major step in protecting the nation’s democratic fibers, as was the case for the first 60 years of the nation.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)