Israeli PM Netanyahu asks for parliamentary immunity amid corruption charges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday requested speaker of the Knesset -- country's parliament-- to grant parliamentary immunity for three criminal cases against him.

"I would like to lead the government of Israel for many years. According to the law, immunity is always temporary. Immunity gives the people's representatives temporary protection from the judiciary. It lasts until the current convocation of the Knesset [Israeli parliament] stops functioning," he said, as quoted by The Times of Israel.

In November last year, Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Netanyahu has denied all the allegations, saying they are part of a politically orchestrated "witch-hunt" to oust him from office.

In a swift response to Netanyahu's request, Avigdor Liberman, his political rival of the Yisrael Beytenu opposed the immunity request in a social media post.

On his plea for immunity, he further said, "I would like to lead the government of Israel for many years. According to the law, immunity is always temporary. Immunity gives the people's representatives temporary protection from the judiciary."

The Israeli PM has been the subject of multiple corruption investigations and cases of impropriety, including, advancing a law that would benefit one of Israel's major newspapers, and supporting looser regulation of telecommunication company Bezeq in return for positive coverage.

( With inputs from ANI )