Later this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister in its 71-year existence. To reach that mark, both he and his right-wing Likud party will need a strong showing in elections April 9.
Polls show that Netanyahu, who was prime minister for three years in the 1990s and has held the office since 2009, is locked in a close race with former general Benny Gantz and the opposition Blue and White alliance.
But Netanyahu isn’t just fighting for his political life, he’s also fighting for his freedom. That’s because Israel’s attorney general has said he plans to indict Netanyahu on criminal charges stemming from three separate corruption investigations after the election.
On this edition of Global Journalist, an in-depth look at the political legacy one of Israel’s most influential and polarizing leaders, and his prospects in a tight campaign.
Joining the program:
- Daniel Estrin, Jerusalem correspondent, NPR News
- Aron Heller, Jersualem correspondent, Associated Press
- Emmanuel Navon, lecturer at Tel Aviv University and senior analyst at I24 News
- Dan Arbell, former Israeli diplomat and scholar-in-residence, American University
Assistant producers: Seth Bodine, Lara Cumming, Michelle Stoddart
Supervising producer: Edom Kassaye
Visual editor: Grace Lett