Majority of Israelis think Benjamin Netanyahu should resign

New poll shows more than half of Israelis believe longest-serving leader has to go

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a state memorial ceremony at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a shrine holy to Jews and Muslims, in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank September 4, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
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Most of the Israeli public believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should step down from his position, a new poll suggests.

The apparent public shift comes after the country's Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, announced that he would indict the longest-ever serving Israeli leader in three corruption cases.

Fifty-six per cent of Israelis said Mr Netanyahu should step down, while just 35 per cent said he should remain, a poll released by Israeli broadcast Channel 13 showed.

His indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust marks the culmination of three long-running corruption cases.

In the most serious, he is accused of accepting bribes from a telecoms magnate by promoting regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for favourable media coverage on a popular news site owned by the company.

Mr Netanyahu has adopted similar tactics and language to those of US President Donald Trump, claiming there is a conspiracy by police and prosecutors to end his 10-year rule.

He has held large rallies in recent months and has repeatedly taken to the airwaves and social media, banking on his political skills as the walls closed in.

"Police and investigators are not above the law," Mr Netanyahu said angrily on television late on Thursday. He said the country was witnessing an "attempted coup".

"The time has come to investigate the investigators," he declared, adopting a line often used by Donald Trump.

Any trial is likely to be months away and if Mr Netanyahu is found guilty, a final conviction exhausting appeals could take years.

In a video posted online on Friday, Mr Netanyahu said he would abide by any ruling.

"We will accept the decisions of the court, there is no doubt about that," he said. "We will act in accordance with the rule of law."

Mr Netanyahu's political authority is under more intense scrutiny than ever.

Israel has been without a functioning government for nearly a year, with the man called "King Bibi" staying on as interim premier after two inconclusive elections in April and September.

Parliament now has less than three weeks to find a candidate who can gain the support of more than half of the 120 legislators, or a deeply unpopular third election will be called.