Israel attorney general Avichai Mandelblit said on Monday that PM Benjamin Netanyahu can stay on in his post although he has been indicted on corruption charges.
Mandelblit said in a statement that, “there is no legal obligation for the prime minister to resign”.
Under Israeli law, while ministers cannot keep their posts after an indictment, a prime minister is not legally required to step down unless convicted and with all appeals exhausted.
On Thursday, the embattled leader has faced calls to resign from several politicians since Mandelblit charged him with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The indictment comes as Israel edges closer to its third general election in a year, after two inconclusive polls in April and September, with Netanyahu and centrist rival Benny Gantz unable to form a government.
In October, the prime minister’s legal team spent four marathon days in front of prosecutors arguing that the charges should be reduced or dismissed, an effort that apparently had little effect.
Netanyahu was first elected as chairman of the Likud in 1993, serving in the opposition until 1996. He resigned from politics after being defeated in a general election in 1999, returning to lead the party in 2005. Since then he has consolidated his position in Likud, dividing and weakening his opponents and facing very few challenges over the years.