Explainer: the corruption allegations against Benjamin Netanyahu, simplified

Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu received illegal gifts worth hundreds of thousands of shekels from wealthy businesspeople.

Mr Netanyahu has been questioned seven times under caution about this and the newspaper circulation case. Police recommended an indictment in February 2018.
The attorney general announced in February 2019 that he would indict Benjamin Netanyahu, pending a hearing.

Mr Netanyahu won't be required to resign, but he could struggle to form a Knesset majority if parties refuse to join his coalition. That could mean someone else becoming PM - or even early elections. Some legal experts believe a PM cannot serve under indictment so a Supreme Court challenge would be likely.

“Nothing will happen, because nothing did happen.” He accepts he and his wife received gifts, but insists they were legal gifts from close friends.

In exchange for favourable coverage from the powerful tabloid Yedioth Ahronot, Benjamin Netanyahu sought to limit the circulation of its rival freesheet Yisrael Ha'Yom, a newspaper owned by his friend Sheldon Adelson.

The allegations are based on audio recordings made of meetings between Mr Netanyahu and Yedioth’s owner, Arnon Mozes.

Mr Netanyahu has been questioned seven times under caution about this and the illegal gifts case. Police recommended an indictment in February 2018. The attorney general announced in February 2019 that he would indict Benjamin Netanyahu, pending a hearing.

Mr Netanyahu won't be required to resign, but he could struggle to form a Knesset majority if parties refuse to join his coalition. That could mean someone else becoming PM - or even early elections. Some legal experts believe a PM cannot serve under indictment so a Supreme Court challenge would be likely.

Mr Netanyahu has not denied the content of the recordings of his meetings with Mr Mozes but insists their discussions did not go beyond the normal dealings between politicians and media bosses.

Senior aides and former Navy officers, including Mr Netanyahu’s longstanding lawyer and his National Security Council chief, accepted bribes to smooth the purchase of submarines and missile boats from German shipyard ThyssenKrupp. Mr Netanyahu himself is not officially a suspect.

ThyssenKrupp’s Israeli representative has become a state witness and is expected to implicate further senior figures. In November 2018 police recommended six people, including some close Netanyahu associates, be indicted.

A number of defence officials claim Mr Netanyahu was intimately involved in the deal. If proven, this will lead opponents to question his suitability on national security grounds. Some evidence in this case remains under a gag order.

Benjamin Netanyahu says he had no idea his closest confidants were linked to ThyssenKrupp and that the submarine purchase, worth billions of shekels, was in the national interest.

Telecom firm Bezeq's main shareholder Shaul Elovich engineered the purchase of other companies he owns at an inflated price while, Shlomo Filber, a Netanyahu aide at the Israeli Communications Ministry leaked confidential information that helped him do it.

Fraud charges have been pressed against Mr Elovich, Mr Filber and Bezeq chief executive Stella Hendler. State prosecutors are also investigating Mr Netanyahu's 2014-17 term as communications minister.

Mr Netanyahu was questioned in connection to the allegations on Friday August 17 2018. Police recommended an indictment on December 2.

The attorney general announced in February 2019 that he would indict Benjamin Netanyahu, pending a hearing.

This is already one of the largest corruption cases in Israeli history and involves two of Mr Netanyahu’s close associates. Shaul Elovich is a friend and owner of Walla!, a website that has provided favourable coverage. Mr Filber is a close aide and has been the prime minister’s election campaign manager.

The prime minister has publicly backed Mr Filber and said he is innocent of illegal acts at the ministry.

The prime minister’s wife Sara misused public funds at their official and private residences, using state employees to care for her late father and government chefs for private parties.

Sara Netanyahu agreed to a plea bargain of around £12,000 in June 2019 to settle allegations she diverted public funds to pay for private meals at the official residence.

The charges are uncomfortable for the prime minister, but he has not been accused of wrongdoing himself. Police accepted his statement that he was unaware of the details of the residence's management.

The prime minister and his wife have denied any illegal actions and belittled the indictment's main charge as “persecution over ready meals”. Their proxies have also accused a former housekeeper at the residence, who suing separately for abusive employment.