'Baeksinseonbang' Netanyahu's Greatest Crisis, Coalition Failure Followed by Corruption Trial

Bribery and Collusion with Media Outlets Allegations
Failure to Form Coalition... President Rivlin Likely to Nominate Prime Minister Candidate

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is facing what is seen as the greatest crisis of his political career as his corruption trial begins amid his failure to form a coalition government following last month's general election.

According to local media Ynet News on the 5th (local time), Netanyahu attended the first hearing of his corruption trial that day. This marked the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister has been put on trial.

During the trial, the prosecution focused on the conflict of interest between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli media company Bezeq. Bezeq is a telecommunications company in Israel that owns the internet news outlet Walla. The prosecution alleges that Walla provided favorable media coverage of Netanyahu in exchange for Netanyahu easing regulations related to Bezeq’s business areas, resulting in a conflict of interest.

At the hearing, the prosecution described the case as a "very serious corruption matter," stating that "it was essentially a mutual deal between the prime minister and the media company." Ilan Yeshua, former CEO of Walla who appeared as a prosecution witness, testified, "While I was CEO, I was constantly pressured by the owner to provide positive coverage of Netanyahu."

On the other hand, Netanyahu completely denied the charges against him, calling it a "witch hunt by the prosecution." He described it as "an abuse of prosecutorial power and a de facto coup."

Previously, in 2019, Israeli prosecutors indicted Netanyahu on charges of bribery and corruption. In addition to the Bezeq-related allegations, Netanyahu is accused of accepting bribes such as jewelry, cigars, and champagne from multiple businessmen and demanding favorable coverage about himself from Israel’s largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth.

Meanwhile, on the 5th, a vote to elect the prime minister was held in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) to form a coalition government, but no candidate secured the majority of 61 votes required to be elected prime minister. Netanyahu received 52 votes, while Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist opposition party Yesh Atid, received 45 votes.

With the failure to form a coalition government and elect a prime minister, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin is expected to nominate a candidate to lead the new coalition government on the 6th. Ahead of the nomination, President Rivlin stated on the 5th that "ethical issues of the prime ministerial candidate will also be considered."

According to Israeli law, after the president nominates a prime ministerial candidate, a coalition government must be formed within 28 days, with the possibility of a two-week extension for coalition negotiations approved by the president. If the coalition formation fails within this period, the president may nominate a new prime ministerial candidate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.