Bennett says he’ll vote against bill that would block Netanyahu from serving as PM

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday announced that he will vote against a bill barring a lawmaker charged with a serious crime from becoming prime minister.

After Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced Monday that they decided to dissolve the coalition amid its struggles to properly function, several parties that back the government decided to move forward with the controversial legislation. The bill is widely seen as targeting opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is being tried on criminal charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

If passed, the bill would block any Knesset member indicted for a crime that includes a minimum sentence of three years and a moral turpitude clause from being tasked by the president with assembling a government, such as Netanyahu.