Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during a ceremony in Jerusalem, January 23, 2020. /AP Photo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was formally indicted in court on Tuesday on corruption charges after he withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution.
Netanyahu was in Washington for meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the release of Trump's long-delayed Israel-Palestinian peace plan when Israel's attorney-general filed the charges in a Jerusalem court.
The immunity bid seemed doomed to fail from the beginning since Netanyahu, who denies any wrongdoing, lacked sufficient votes in the legislature for approval.
The request for protection from prosecution had effectively blocked the filing of the indictment until now.
As proceedings move toward trial the timeline remains unclear and it could take months or years.
Netanyahu said in a statement that an immunity debate in parliament would have been a "circus" and he did not want to take part in this "dirty game."
Netanyahu said Tuesday that he had dropped his request for parliamentary immunity from corruption charges.
"A few minutes ago I informed the Knesset speaker that I'm withdrawing the immunity request," he said on Facebook. "I won't let my political opponents use this issue to disturb the historic move I'm leading."
On March 2, Netanyahu is seeking reelection in a general election which pits his right-wing Likud against the centrist Blue and White party in what is likely to be a close contest.
"In this fateful moment for the people of Israel, while I'm in the U.S. on a historic mission to form Israel's final borders and ensure our security for future generations, another immunity circus show is due to open at the Knesset," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu denies the charges against him and says he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt.
Israel Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz speaks during a news conference after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Washington, January 27, 2020. /AP Photo
Netanyahu's main rival, centrist former general Benny Gantz, made Netanyahu's legal troubles a centerpiece of his campaigns in two Israeli elections last year.
Gantz made a brief trip to Washington to discuss the peace plan with Trump, and had rushed back to Israel expecting to lead the parliament debate against granting Netanyahu immunity.
"Netanyahu is going to trial – we have to move on," Gantz said after Netanyahu pulled his immunity request.
"The citizens of Israel have a clear choice: a prime minister who works for them or a prime minister busy with himself. No one can manage the country and in parallel manage three serious criminal cases," Gantz said in a tweet.
Netanyahu is suspected of wrongfully accepting 264,000 U.S. dollars worth of gifts, which prosecutors said included cigars and champagne, from tycoons and of dispensing regulatory favors in alleged bids for improved coverage by a popular news website.Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of bribery and a maximum three-year term for fraud and breach of trust.
(With input from Reuters and AFP)