National Union Chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich, who holds the second seat in the joint Union of Right-Wing Parties list, has created a plan to shield Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from prosecution in Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 while he is still in office, Yediot Aharonot reported Wednesday.
According to the report, opposition MKs have estimated that if Netanyahu is the one to create the next coalition, he will insist on passing the "French Law" to protect sitting prime ministers from being investigated.
The law would not protect Netanyahu himself, however, since he is already past the investigation stage and is waiting for a trial, which will depend on a hearing.
Smotrich, who expects that he would be an important member of a future Netanyahu coalition, is planning to overcome the challenge by passing a law "Knesset members' immunity, their rights, and their obligations," which he is planning to submit immediately upon the creation of the 21st Knesset.
The proposed bill would change the Immunity Law and return it to its pre-2005 state, where MKs received automatic immunity from being tried. This immunity could only be removed by a majority vote in the Knesset.
Since the law was changed in 2005, immunity is only granted when the majority votes in favor of granting it.
Smotrich hopes that his bill will pass, granting Netanyahu automatic immunity, since the majority will not vote against him.
"In recent years, every public figure is treated like a potential criminal," Smotrich said. "It cripples the MKs' ability to do their job in the best way possible."
"The law is not intended to prevent justice from being done if someone committed a crime, but rather to allow Knesset members to do their work without fear or concerns that cases will be created against them and that they will be persecuted by false accusations and unending investigations used to remove them from politics.
"There's a feeling that several officials have come together in order to bring down the right-wing government. If Netanyahu is elected again despite the concerns against him, then when I weigh honoring democracy and the nation's choice against cigars and nonsense about favorable coverage on Walla!, I have no doubt that the nation's choice and honoring democratic choice is more important. This law will strengthen democracy and allow the Knesset to carry out its job properly."