On the evening of Nov. 21, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went from being a suspect in a bribery case to being indicted for the charges while still serving as prime minister. Over the next few days, he will face a first dramatic test within the Likud to see if he can survive the indictment. If indeed Likud members continue to follow him, their sentiments would form the basis of a third election campaign, led by Netanyahu himself. It would be a campaign portraying him as the victim of an attempt to launch a coup against the right. It is, in fact, how he sees things.

All of this is unfamiliar territory, never seen before in the State of Israel. This is the first time that a prime minister seeking to be reelected has run for office while facing such serious charges — or any charges whatsoever, for that matter. Never before has the formal legal system been asked to determine whether such a person can even be tasked with forming a new government.

Netanyahu himself plans to fight for his right to be reelected, arguing that in a democracy, only the public can decide on his future, and that by law, he is presumed innocent. But before he can set off on this battle, not knowing how it will end, Netanyahu will need a united Likud party behind him — or at least most of the Likud party. As of Nov. 22, not one senior Likud official has gotten up to demand his resignation despite the serious charges against him.

Netanyahu is now reaping the fruits of the longstanding and close bond he has built over the years with his Likud base. Likud voters feel an emotional connection to him. Likud Knesset members and ministers tested this mood after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s announcement and Netanyahu’s “Persecuted Victim Speech.” Once they realized that public sentiment in support of Netanyahu was strong and key groups in the Likud identify with his claims that he is the victim of an attempted coup allegedly by the legal system, they came out with statements in support of the prime minister. This list of supporters included ministers Yariv Levin, Ze'ev Elkin, Amir Ohana, Ofir Akunis, Miri Regev, David Amsalem and Israel Katz. Conspicuous in their failure to express support were Likud senior Gideon Saar, Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein, and ministers Gilad Erdan and Yoav Galant. The first two plan to run against Netanyahu in the primary for Likud party leadership. That is something Netanyahu can no longer avoid, especially after he himself toyed with the idea of a primary in early October. He can no longer claim that it is just an attempt to depose him.