Binyamin Netanyahu : The great survivalist

Just recently, Feburary 2018 to be precise, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was not having the best of times.  He was left reeling as police recommended indicting him in two separate bribery and fraud investigations for allegedly accepting gifts worth a million shekels (£200,000) from wealthy businessmen and colluding with a media tycoon for favourable coverage.

More surprisingly, his closest aides — his spin doctor and election campaign manager — both signed state witness agreements. They agreed to tell all to police. Even though the prime minister denied any wrongdoing, some people were already talking of when and not if he would be forced to resign.

However, the astute politician's way of dealing with his domestic legal predicament was to present himself as Israel’s indispensable statesman on the international scene.

When the chorus of accusations was loudest, the unexpected happened. In a move that wrong-footed Netanyahu's political enemies, the White House announced that it would inaugurate its new embassy in Jerusalem in May. There was no doubt that such an historic occasion would place Israel’s leader once again at the centre of great national events.

The last we heard about his domestic situation was that investigations have become bogged down amid infighting between the police and state prosecutors.  The attorney-general, a former cabinet secretary, is carefully examining the police files before he decides whether to formally charge his old boss.

A final decision may not be made by the end of this year and, if current polls are anything to go by, the prime minister seems on course to win yet another election next year before charges are pressed.