The crimes make up two of the three charges currently face by Prime Minister Netanyahu, though it is not clear whether the law could be changed retroactively
January 12, 2026 15:16
Right-wing MKs from Israel’s governing coalition have submitted a bill that would scrap the offences of fraud and breach of trust from the country’s criminal code.
The bill, titled “An End to Ambiguity in Criminal Law: Repeal of the Offense of Fraud and Breach of Trust”, was officially proposed on Monday.
It was backed by Ofir Katz, a coalition whip and member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party, as well as Michel Buskila of New Hope–United Right and Religious Zionism’s Simcha Rothman.
The trio claimed that the offences, as they currently stand in law, act as a “catch-all” that “severely undermines the principle of legality and the foundations of criminal law”.
They also argued that the criminal code is too “vague” and that their bill would “establish clearly defined offenses that are not currently addressed by law”, while “strengthening disciplinary law and expanding enforcement tools in the areas of ethics”.
However, the move has already sparked criticism given that the two offences constitute two-thirds of the criminal charges faced by Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial.
The premier has been indicted on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes across three separate case, which are being heard concurrently in Jerusalem.
The Movement for Quality Government (MQC), a pro-democracy non-profit which has previously petitioned the Supreme Court to bar Netanyahu from office, said the new bill was “not of public interest”, alleging it was “the work of elected officials who are in conflict of interest and working to advance their interests and those of their relatives”.
Tomer Naor, MQC’s vice president of law and strategy, said: “The offense of fraud and breach of trust is one of the strongest defences we have for integrity in public life.
"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.”
Several senior opposition figures have also come out against the bill, with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid promising his Yesh Atid party would fight the proposed measures “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,” he said.
"The coalition has declared war on democratic and advanced Israel, and we will mobilise and fight to protect it.”
"The bill to abolish the offenses for which Netanyahu is charged will not pass,” added Democrats MK Gilad Kariv. “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.”
However, it is not clear whether, even if the bill were to pass, it could be applied retroactively in the event that Netanyahu is convicted on the relevant charges.
It will now be examined by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation next week, before moving to the Knesset.
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