ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was formally charged with corruption today hours after dropping his request for immunity from prosecution.

He said that he had “decided not to let this dirty game continue,” paving the way for him to face trial before the March 2 election.

Israel’s longest-serving premier faces three separate cases on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. 

The Likud leader denies the charges which he claims are part of a “political witch-hunt.”

Mr Netanyahu is in Washington where US President Donald Trump is to announce details of his much-derided “deal of the century” aiming to bring peace between Israel and Palestine.

“In this fateful hour for the people of Israel, when I am in the United States on a historic mission to design the permanent borders of Israel and ensure our security for decades to come, the Knesset is expected to open another exhibition in the circus of removing immunity,” he said in a statement.

The Knesset was due to meet to discuss the establishment of a committee to discuss Mr Netanyahu’s request for immunity from prosecution.

In one case he is accused of receiving gifts in exchange for favours and is charged with fraud and breach of trust.

In another Mr Netanyahu is charged with agreeing to weaken a rival newspaper in return for positive coverage from Yedioth Ahronoth.

In the most serious of the cases, he is accused of giving notice of regulatory decisions that benefited Bezeq telecom owner Shaul Elovitch to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in return for favourable coverage from his Walla news site.

His rival, Blue and White alliance leader Benny Gantz, said: “Netanyahu is going to trial — we must go forward.

“Nobody could run a country and simultaneously manage three serious criminal charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.”