Blue and White rules out coalition with Netanyahu

Blue and White party vows not to form coalition with Netanyahu following indictment announcement

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, GIL HOFFMAN
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu. He cannot be a unifier (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu. He cannot be a unifier
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Blue and White vowed not to form a coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, following Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit's decision to indict Netanyahu on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The charges came a day after Blue and White leader Benny Gantz returned his mandate to form a government to President Reuven Rivlin and a three-week period in which any MK could draft the support of a majority of the Knesset began.
"“A Prime Minister up to his neck in corruption allegations has no public or moral mandate to make fateful decisions for the State of Israel," the party said. "There is concern, whether or not the charges prove to be true or without merit, that Netanyahu will make decisions in his own personal interest and for his political survival and not in the national interest.”
Not wanting to be seen as expressing joy at Netanyahu's misfortune, Gantz tweeted a short statement calling it "a very sad day for the State of Israel."
Labor-Gesher leader Amir Peretz assembled a legal team to appeal to the Supreme Court to rule that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unfit to serve in office following decision by the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to indict the PM for alleged corruption and breach of trust, a Labor-Gesher press release reported.
Democratic Union leader Nitzan Horowitz said that “Netanyahu must not serve for even one extra moment," and warned that “in his political demise,
Netanyahu will set fire to any good plot [of land] of honesty and stately [behavior].”
He warned that those who will assist the prime minister at this moment will be remembered for “directly harming the country.”
Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi demanded that Mandelblit rule on whether one who is indicted for bribery can be tasked with forming a government. Tibi said that because of the precedent, an immediate decision is needed.
Likud MK Miki Zohar said on social media on Thursday that “everything was known way in advance” and claimed “we knew that the Attorney General will not be able to stand up to the pressure turned on him.”
He pointed the finger to State Attorney of Israel Shai Nitzan as the one who “fought with all his might” to have the PM indicted “at all cost.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted on Thursday for alleged corruption and breach of trust by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. 
Likud MK Shlomo Karai said on Thursday that “an army led by one man set the goal to impeach a Prime Minister while in office.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted on Thursday for alleged corruption and breach of trust by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.  Karai said that Mandelblit was unable to prevent “an attempt of an army of lawyers to topple the government.”


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