Here are some ways it could play out:

An indicted leader in office

Israel does not have a constitution. Its primary governing principles are enshrined in what are known as the Basic Laws, one of which addresses a prime minister facing trial.

Under that law, Mr. Netanyahu can remain under indictment and even stand trial while in office. Lawmakers could vote to oust him only after all appeals are exhausted, a process that could take years.

But watchdog bodies are planning nonetheless to challenge Mr. Netanyahu’s continued tenure in court.

The provision dealing with a prime minister facing trial has never been interpreted by the Supreme Court so there is no precedent, argued Suzie Navot, a professor of constitutional law at the Striks School of Law near Tel Aviv.

“Without interpretation it’s meaningless,” she said.

Ms. Navot noted, for example, that the Basic Law does not differentiate between a prime minister charged with a lesser crime like failing to pay taxes, or a major one like accepting bribes. Bribery, the most serious of the charges against Mr. Netanyahu, carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.