Israel's Attorney General Moves Forward with Netanyahu's Indictment: What Happens Next?

After years of investigations, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has announced his decision to consider indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with multiple counts of graft. As expected, Netanyahu reacted with fire and fury, calling the investigations a witch hunt. He vowed to continue leading Israel for many years to come—implying that he would not step down if indicted. The attorney general’s announcement is particularly dramatic in light of the upcoming elections in Israel, scheduled for April 9. In this post I outline the meaning and practical implications of the announcement, as well as the consequences of an indictment against the prime minister in the coming months. I explored the latter topic in detail in a previous Lawfare post on the legal framework governing the indictment of a sitting prime minister in Israel....