Loyalties Will Be Broken": the effect of the conflict on the party factions in the Congress, and how the political system will be affected. The most dramatic moment came when the prime minister told the plenary, "It was the prime minister who ordered my ouster. It wasn't by any choice of my own." Reactions to resignation Political effect In Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu congratulated Netanyahus with his "historic courage and determination", adding that he had always supported him and was willing to meet him "without preconditions." The opposition Labour Party faction said it would not be "deceived by this trick" and claimed that the prime minister did not resign, rather he was dismissed. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid expressed delight that he'd been proven right and said he would have resigned on Sunday, but he "would have given Bibi some support." Naftali Bennett said, "They had to fire him so they could announce a government without him – they were afraid to stand him in the election." The party said he had been fired "illegally" and demanded that he be reinstated. Former Prime Minister and political rival Ehud Barak said, "Israel is a very special place that needs to focus on a wide range of issues. All of them are important. But it is obvious that Bibi must be restored as the leader of the government." On 7 April 2016, Netanyahu was tasked with forming a government, but failed to garner a majority in the 120-member Knesset. He remained prime minister as a result of an eleventh-hour agreement between Likud and Jewish Home to place Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman as his acting prime minister. Netanyahu remained prime minister on paper until the scheduled March 2 election, although the position had little authority and did not control the cabinet. In addition, Liberman said that Netanyahu's failure to form a government was another sign that the "old generation" of leaders had run its course and that a different "young generation" would take their place. On 25 March 2016, President Reuven Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with forming a government. Netanyahu resigned as prime minister on 26 March 2016. Yisrael Katz, the leader of the Jewish Home party, was appointed acting prime minister by President Rivlin. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, acting on behalf of Netanyahu, dissolved the Knesset and called for new elections on 28 April 2016. Netanyahu commented that his party had intended to form the coalition after the election, but had been "led astray by the people surrounding me" and claimed that they had not only prevented the party from governing, but "had also harmed the institutions that serve as the foundation for our democracy". MKs from Likud and Habayit Hayehudi then announced their intention to form a new party led by Netanyahu. However, it was thought to be unlikely that Netanyahu would be able to assemble a coalition if new elections were called. On 2 May 2016, following President Rivlin's recommendation, Netanyahu was tasked with forming a government. No party had the 61 seats necessary to form a governing majority, but Netanyahu's Likud party announced that it had reached an agreement with Yisrael Beytenu, whose leader was set to become the second most powerful member in the new government, with the prospect of becoming the most powerful. In a last-ditch effort, Netanyahu reached out to Shas and to ultra-Orthodox parties in an attempt to forge a coalition. On 17 May 2016, Netanyahu was tasked with forming a new coalition. In the run-up to the vote, it was decided that the new government would be led by another member of Likud. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman declined to form a coalition, effectively dissolving the Knesset and calling a snap election. Political repercussions On 6 April 2016, it was announced that a hearing had been scheduled for 27 April 2016, following Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's decision to charge him with breach of trust and fraud in three separate instances over his relationship with Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. On 11 April 2016, Netanyahu released a four-minute video, in which he declared that he was confident he would be cleared of all wrongdoing. Netanyahu was questioned for four hours, then adjourned until the end of the day to review the investigators' summation of his interrogation. The following day, Netanyahu's lawyers submitted a petition to the attorney general's office asking that Netanyahu be permitted to use materials acquired by police during the investigation in the election. On 14 April 2016, Netanyahu's attorneys filed a motion with the Supreme Court, asking that the indictment be dismissed, citing a lack of evidence, as well as asking that police be forced to hand over evidence acquired during their investigation. On the same day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed two of his closest confidants, Ari Harow and Sara Netanyahu. On 17 April 2016, the State Prosecutor's Office issued an indictment against Netanyahu for bribery and breach of trust. A three-week hearing commenced on 27 April 2016. Netanyahu was charged with receiving more than one million shekels (approximately $283,000) in bribes between 2007 and 2009 in return for promoting regulations that benefited Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder in Bezeq, then owned by his family. Netanyahu had allegedly "acted together with" Elovitch in exchange for positive press coverage on Elovitch's Walla! website in return for regulatory changes that would benefit the firm. Following the hearing on 27 April 2016, in which Netanyahu was questioned for the first time in the case, he released a statement condemning the prosecution and declaring his innocence. On 6 May 2016, he was questioned by the police for a second time. During a press conference on 29 April 2016, Netanyahu acknowledged that he "underestimated" his opponents in the Likud leadership, but denied that he had been involved in creating the "Bibi versus Gantz" campaign. He claimed that, even before the investigation was launched, some of his rivals had attempted to smear his character by claiming he had been involved in bribery. On 31 May 2016, the indictment against Netanyahu was expanded by the State Prosecutor's Office to include both an additional charge of bribery and an expanded evidentiary base. In July 2016, prosecutors recommended that a gag order preventing publication of details of the case, imposed by the court when it authorized his indictment, be lifted; the gag order was lifted on 2 August 2016. On 5 June 2016, Netanyahu spoke in public for the first time since his reelection as prime minister. Netanyahu stated, "I have come today to submit my request to extend my pre-indictment plea bargain." He subsequently entered his plea of not guilty in a Jerusalem courtroom, but also announced he would be requesting immunity from prosecution in order to avoid jail time in two other criminal cases against him. It is believed that he chose to remain in office in order to avoid a possible political crisis. He also claimed that the only reason he resigned as prime minister on 27 February 2013 was the prospect of being indicted. References Category:2016 in Israel Category:April 2016 events in Europe Category:Benjamin Netanyahu Category:Corruption in Israel Category:Political scandals in Israel Netanyahu, Benjamin