There was nothing unexpected about the decision by Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to indict, pending a hearing, Prime Minister Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust on three separate counts of corruption. Nevertheless, there is still a feeling of shock and a deep sense of being let down in this moment of realization that the person leading the country is seemingly corrupt to the core. Israel has a prime minister who is not ashamed to accuse all who disagree with him of being disloyal and unpatriotic, yet has allegedly abused his power by demanding luxurious items to the tune of six-figure sums, and who is accused of compromising the integrity of the political system to prevent negative media coverage of himself and his family. In his distorted and opportunistic view of the world, those who aspire to peace with the Palestinians are traitors, yet ruining all acceptable standards of public life is somehow “patriotic.” There are, of course, the usual and obvious provisos to be stated about the importance of the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, which needless to say applies to Netanyahu as much as it does to any other citizen. Yet, despite all of his claims that “there won’t be anything found because there wasn’t anything to find,” the evidence uncovered so far is chilling in terms of what it suggests about Netanyahu’s personal lack of integrity, the time he spends pressuring the media to publish favorable headlines, and his even greater efforts to suppress unfavorable ones. To these ends, Mandelblit writes, Netanyahu was ready enter into corrupt relations with media bosses. It is inconceivable that Netanyahu will hold on to power much longer, considering the well-articulated indictment, which is written with surgical precision and a thinly veiled conviction that the behavior it describes was not a one-time lapse of judgment. The indictment paints a picture of a serial offender on the loose. His political fate might be decided by the Israeli electorate in next month’s elections, when he might face a challenge from within his own party, or we might have to wait for the judicial process to run its course. However it pans out, Netanyahu’s political career is nearing its end. In view of the very detailed 57-page indictment on three very serious cases of corruption, the hearing will be a mere formality and a trial will take place some time next year. It has been an open secret that Netanyahu is a miser who made it a habit to ensure others paid for his and his family’s luxurious lifestyle, one which they otherwise could not have afforded. How he satisfied his hedonistic cravings — receiving pink champagne, cigars and jewelry from so-called friends who happened to have economic interests that Netanyahu was in a position to further — is a nauseating and flagrant abuse of power, especially in a country where so many children go to bed hungry. It his also an open secret that the prime minister and his wife, Sarah, have a paranoid obsession with anything and everything written about them in the media. Israel has a prime minister who is not ashamed to accuse all who disagree with him of being disloyal and unpatriotic, yet has allegedly abused his power by demanding luxurious items to the tune of six-figure sums. Yossi Mekelberg When these personal traits were combined with possession of the most powerful political job in the country, the scene was set for those with the money to conspire with those holding the power to legislate and regulate to benefit them, against the interests of the country and its people. While the legality of Netanyahu’s behavior is a matter for the courts to decide, it is for everyone else, especially the Israeli public, to pass judgment on whether this is an acceptable way for a prime minister to conduct the country’s affairs. While his moral bankruptcy is clear for all to see, Netanyahu’s reaction to the allegations and now the indictments have added insult to injury. His resulting behavior has been almost as bad, if not worse, than what he was accused of in the first place. His vicious and unscrupulous attacks on the on those in the Justice Ministry in charge of his case, the left (which in Netanyahu’s vocabulary means everyone who disagrees with him), and the media are a sign of someone who is not only desperate, but also ready in his desperation to bring down the entire country, and its struggling democracy, with him. Netanyahu is not the first politician, not even the first prime minister, in Israel’s short history to face charges of corruption. However, no one before him was so hellbent on undermining the credibility of the legal system and the police, and on smearing all of his political opponents in such a disturbing way. It might be naive, knowing Netanyahu’s record in politics, to expect him to show any remorse, some humility perhaps, or at least be somewhat more reflective. He does not have to admit guilt in the legal sense; he could come out and accept publicly that, upon reflection, he should have been more careful in “accepting” expensive gifts from those with vested interests in Israel. He could express regret that some of his discussions with newspaper and telecommunications bosses smacked of inappropriate behavior. He could promise to be more careful in the future, or to hold fewer portfolios in government and instead delegate more powers to other ministers. It is too late for any such response to prevent his indictment but it might nevertheless give the impression that there is some capacity for repentance within him. But this is not Netanyahu’s way; he will play the victim all the way to court. Is he a narcissist who believes, like the absolutist King Louis XIV of France, L’état, c’est moi — the country is him, and he is the country. Surely all the available evidence points to this. When he gets his comeuppance it will be too late for him, but until he finally vacates the political stage, the priority for the country is to prevent him causing any more damage than he has already inflicted. Because right now he could be more dangerous than ever as he struggles not only for political survival but also to avoid spending a considerable amount of time behind bars. Judging by his unscrupulous nature and past behavior, Netanyahu will stop at nothing to save his skin, even if means leaving behind the scorched earth of a deeply divided society, and even open conflict with Israel’s neighbors. Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view