Following a heated two-hour meeting on Monday, a Knesset panel voted 16-5 in favor of establishing a House Committee to deliberate on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for immunity from prosecution in the three criminal cases facing him.
The committee will comprise 30 members, from all political parties based on their representation in Knesset, “to ensure representation of all factions,” according to panel chairman MK Avi Nissenkorn (Blue and White).
Likud MK Miki Zohar stormed out of the meeting, accusing Blue and White of “hijacking the Knesset” and promising to file a High Court petition against the decision.
Echoing Zohar’s remarks, Netanyahu tweeted on Monday: “Blue and White have zero achievements to show the citizens of Israel, so they kidnapped the Knesset to advance their only campaign: ‘Just not Bibi.’”
Alternately, if the committee were to approve the request, the immunity granted would last only for the term of the Knesset that approved it, namely until the March 2 election, at which point he would have to apply again to renew it.
It’s not yet clear when the House Committee will be formed or when the hearings will be held.