Right-wing coalition lawmakers submitted a bill on Monday seeking to repeal the criminal offenses of fraud and breach of trust from Israel's criminal code, which are charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently facing in his ongoing trial.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2020 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three cases known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.
The bill, titled “An End to Ambiguity in Criminal Law: Repeal of the Offense of Fraud and Breach of Trust,” was submitted by Coalition Whip Ofir Katz (Likud), MK Michel Buskila (New Hope–United Right), and MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party).
Their proposal calls to reestablish what criminal offenses are, and to also advance a reform of criminal law.
The bill is slated to be advanced in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation next week, before it moves to the Knesset.
According to the bill’s sponsors, the offense of fraud and breach of trust as it currently stands functions as a “catch-all” provision that “severely undermines the principle of legality and the foundations of criminal law.”
Coalition push to scrap breach of trust offense sparks outcry
The coalition lawmakers argued that the offense in the current criminal codes is “vaguely” defined, claiming that it grants excessive power to prosecutors and law-enforcement authorities, enabling selective and biased enforcement.
The purpose of the legislation, Katz, Buskila, and Rothman said, is to “establish clearly defined offenses that are not currently addressed by law,” including conflicts of interest involving close relatives and government insider trading.
In parallel, the bill would advance the reform they said would be aimed at “strengthening disciplinary law and expanding enforcement tools in the areas of ethics."
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel warned that coalition plans to repeal were "not of public interest" and were rather "the work of elected officials who are in conflict of interest and working to advance their interests and those of their relatives."
"The offense of fraud and breach of trust is one of the strongest defences we have for integrity in public life," Tomer Naor, vice president of law and strategy of the Movement for Quality Government, said.
"Its abolition would leave us in a situation where corrupt behavior by elected officials, which is sophisticated enough not to be bribery, will remain legal," he added.
Opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the proposal, calling it undemocratic and accusing the coalition of advancing legislation based on Netanyahu’s legal situation.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) said his party would fight the bill “in the Knesset, in the streets, and in the courts.”
“This is not a reform; it is a full-fledged coup that will turn Israel into a failed and backward third-world state,” Lapid said. “The coalition has declared war on democratic and advanced Israel, and we will mobilize and fight to protect it.”
MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) said that with each bill the government advances, “the true goal of the regime overhaul becomes increasingly clear: canceling the criminal charges against Netanyahu, placing him above the law, and granting immunity to criminal government ministers to do whatever they please.”
“The bill to abolish the offenses for which Netanyahu is charged will not pass,” Kariv added. “It will not pass because Israel’s democratic public will not allow it to pass. We will fight this proposal in the committees and in the plenum with all our strength.”
Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar!) also condemned the bill, vowing to replace the current government.
“This is not motivated by love of Israel or responsibility toward its citizens,” Eisenkot said, accusing the coalition of acting to “ensure the survival of a bad coalition and preserve power.”
“The government of Israel is acting against the citizens of Israel,” he added.