A new bill aims to shield a sitting prime minister from police interrogation and prosecution barring extreme circumstances. A Likud source told Israel Hayom Sunday that the bill was prompted by the latest investigation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a move Coalition Chairman MK David Bitan noted appears to be "a clear attempt to unseat him." The bill, introduced by Likud MK David Amsalem as an amendment to Basic Law: The Government, states that "an incumbent prime minister will not face a criminal investigation except in cases when security, sex, violence or drug-related crimes are suspected." A sitting prime minister may also be subject to a criminal investigation in cases where "not investigating a certain suspicion in real time could inflict significant harm on Israel's security or economy." According to the bill's abstract: "The job of the Israeli prime minister is one of the most complex positions there is. He must make critical decisions on matters that affect the entire public, including on diplomatic, security, economic and social issues. Therefore, he must be able to be completely focused on these issues. "The past few years have seen several instances where prime ministers were preoccupied with police investigations over different issues, at times dating back to events that transpired before they took office. To avoid this, it is now proposed to decree that a criminal investigation will not be launched against an incumbent prime minister." Amsalem stressed that the bill does not seek to exempt a prime minister from criminal liability, and that the bill states that the statute of limitations will not apply to a prime minister's term, allowing law enforcement to investigate him as soon as his term elapses. However, even if the bill passes, it will not apply to Netanyahu, as the shield will not be enacted retroactively. Also on Sunday, Bitan criticized the Israel Police for pursuing a criminal investigation against Netanyahu. "This seems to be a well-orchestrated move, and this can't go on. The way to replace a prime minister is at the polling stations, not via repetitive reviews. These days, they [the police] investigate Netanyahu over everything, including gossip," he said.
