Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced calls to resign over a corruption scandal on Friday.

Iran Press/Middle East: Netanyahu said he would not step down after he was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust by Israel's attorney-general on Thursday night.

The 70-year-old conservative Likud party leader denies all wrongdoing and denounced the indictment - the first against a sitting Israeli prime minister - as an "attempted coup," Reuters reported.

But his ability to lead a country mired in political crisis, after two inconclusive elections this year that failed to produce a government, is being questioned.

According to a survey published on Friday, 56% of Israelis think that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should resign after, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced that he would be indicting the premier in three corruption cases.

Just 35% of respondents said that the Likud leader should not budge from the Prime Minister’s Residence, while the remaining 9% were unsure, according to the Channel 13 poll.

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