Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has attacked Monday's final decision by the Permits Committee to reject his request for assistance in funding his legal defense against corruption allegations.
A statement on Netanyahu's behalf said, "The permits committee has only one role - to determine whether there is a suspicion of conflict of interest in the prime minister's request to finance his legal defense expenses." The statement also claimed, "It is a pity that the committee has entered areas not used by it, exploited its position to create unprecedented difficulties for the prime minister and to deny him the basic right to defend himself in the legal process. Such events harm public confidence in the system."