Israeli PM Holds Tense Cabinet Meeting As Indictment Looms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a noticeably tense Cabinet meeting. It's his first since Israel’s attorney general announced Netanyahu will be indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu didn’t mention the looming indictment during Sunday’s weekly meeting. Instead, he’s projecting an attitude of business as usual, discussing Iranian belligerency, threats from Gaza and domestic affairs.

His typically talkative ministers have remained noticeably silent. This has been their first public appearances since the attorney general’s announcement Thursday. Netanyahu’s party has long pledged loyalty to its leader.

But his top rival within the party is calling for an immediate primary vote to replace him, sowing the first seeds of rebellion. Replacing Netanyahu offers perhaps the most likely option of preventing a looming third election within a year.