Please stick to the facts

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political rivals, seeking the immediate end of his term in office, are proposing that he take steps that are prohibited by law, indicating they are either ignorant or wish to mislead the public. Ever since we learned over the weekend that the police intend to recommend indicting Netanyahu, politicians and pundits alike have suggested the prime minister remove himself from office or declare himself incapacitated.

The law, however, does not allow for the prime minister to suspend himself. He can, of course, step down by tendering his resignation to the president -- in which case the entire government resigns with him -- but suspension does not exist in the law.

The suggestion that he declare himself incapacitated is also greatly misleading. While the law does allow for this, it only applies when a prime minister can no longer regularly perform his duties due mainly to health or mental reasons. Under such circumstances, the government disbands after 101 days.

The inaccuracies and omissions in recent media reporting clearly show: There is something very unseemly about the way politicians and the media have battered Netanyahu in recent days, before an indictment has even been issued. On Sunday, Yedioth Ahronoth reporter Sima Kadmon went as far as to call Netanyahu "a dead man walking." She added that Netanyahu "isn't going anywhere yet, but if we know him and his family, they will have to be dragged out of the prime minister's residence with a tractor."

Haaretz columnist Yossi Verter, in a manner no less vulgar, wrote: "What can he [Netanyahu] do in the months ahead other than convulse in the thick web being spun around him? It is scary to think what calamities this man and his family are capable of inflicting on this country as they try to deflect the fire closing in on them."

This tone is unbecoming and demeaning, to be sure, but it also does not accurately reflect the reality of the situation. The investigations are still ongoing. Police are still collecting testimonies, questioning suspects and securing witnesses to support the allegations, but we still do not know when and how the investigation will end.

Anyone familiar with police investigations over the years can recall more than a few instances when the police recommended an indictment but the attorney general ultimately decided to close the case. There were also times when the police were asked to provide the attorney general with an opinion but not a recommendation. Consequently, it is too early to determine fates, despite the considerable temptation to come out with bombastic headlines.

It is certainly understandable that pundits and politicians from the Left are eager to see Netanyahu gone, but there is no justification for treating the man heading the government -- who incidentally still enjoys the support of a solid majority in the Knesset, not to mention among the broader public -- with such scorn and contempt.

All the legitimate criticism against Netanyahu aside, even his rivals must admit that he has had successes during his tenure, and that he is protected by rights. Treating him like a doormat does not elevate them.

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