Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) responded to the attorney general's decision to indict the prime minister subject to a hearing.
"Charges of any kind are no substitute for a conviction in a democratic state. We must let the facts become clear in a fair process that reaches a prime minister like every citizen of the State of Israel, "said Edelstein.
"The publication of a statement of indictment against a party leader 40 days before elections without holding a hearing constitutes irreversible public and political damage not only to him but to an entire party and to the electorate."
The Knesset speaker added: "I am sure that Israeli citizens understand this very well, and Benjamin Netanyahu is the Likud candidate for prime minister and we will continue with his full force the campaign on the way to the victory of the Likud and the establishment of a strong right bloc."