It’s no state secret that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and his wife Sara enjoy life’s little luxuries.
Just in the past three years, Netanyahu has drawn withering front-page coverage for dipping into the state treasury for a $2,700-a-year gourmet ice cream habit. Or for ordering a double bed for a five-hour plane ride to London. That cost taxpayers $127,000.
Sara Netanhayu, too, has come under scrutiny for her penchant for pink champagne – a former caretaker, who recently sued the couple for abusive treatment, claimed the first lady would polish off several bottles of bubbly in a day. And she drew ridicule in 2015 for a campaign video with a celebrity interior designer in which she kvetches about the dingy drapes of the couple’s official residence on Balfour Street.
Now the prime minister is in hot water again, seemingly over his and his family’s willingness to accept lavish gifts of Cuban cigars, French champagne and other exclusive items.
Israeli police are asking whether something fishy is going on.
Twice in the past week, Bibi Netanyahu has been “questioned under caution” by police investigators “on suspicions of receiving benefits.”
Public discussion now centers on whether his actions were innocent, unethical – or criminal, if the gifts he got were bribes in exchange for political favors.
On Friday, Israeli media reported that Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan had spent up to $130,000 over eight years on boxes of Cohiba cigars and cases of champagne for the Netanyahu clan.
The police want to know what Milchan got in return.
Israeli news outlets, citing unnamed police sources, said Netanyahu stepped in to try to help the Israeli-born filmmaker gain a long-term U.S. visa by ringing up Secretary of State John F. Kerry at least three times on the issue.
Netanyahu’s attorney said there’s nothing wrong with a friend giving a friend a gift – even a lot of gifts.
Then Monday, the investigation took a more troubling turn when Israel’s Channel 2 News reported that police had obtained a recording of a meeting between Netanyahu and an arch nemesis, media mogul Arnon “Noni” Mozes, publisher of Israel’s largest paid daily, Yediot Achronot.
Yediot is the ultimate Bibi-bashing machine. And Netanyahu never misses an opportunity to accuse Mozes and Yediot of trying to take him down.
According to Israeli media, in the recording, Mozes attempted to negotiate with the prime minister a reduction in the circulation of his newspaper’s main competitor, Israel Hayom.
Funded by another of Netanyahu’s close friends, the American casino magnate and super Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, Israel Hayom is distributed free across the country and has taken a serious chunk out of Yediot’s profits. In addition to serving as prime minister, Netanyahu serves as communications minister.
In exchange for reducing Israel Hayom’s weekend circulation, Israeli reports said, Netanyahu asked Mozes to cover him more favorably in Yediot, a request that Israeli commentator Ben Caspit called an “illegal negotiation.”
“A regulator who is negotiating with a publisher reducing the influence of a competing media outlet in exchange for a benefit. That is bribery, and if it ultimately wasn’t seen through, it is conspiracy to commit bribery. There’s no question here,” Caspit wrote in another daily, Maariv.
The police obtained the tape from former Netanyahu chief of staff Avi Harow, according to Channel 2 News.
Although these revelations no doubt put pressure on the long-serving prime minister, most Israeli analysts think it is unlikely to bring Netanyahu down.
A leader of Netanyahu’s Likud party, David Bitan, told Army Radio, “There will be no indictment. Even if there is a situation in which it will happen – and I do not see it happening – the prime minister should stay in office.”
This is not the first time that Netanyahu has been under suspicion over gifts.
In one case, known as the “Bibi Tours Affair,” there were suggestions that the prime minister and his family enjoyed trips worth tens of thousands of dollars as gifts from foreign business executives and groups.
Netanyahu has maintained his innocence, saying nothing will come of the investigations. He told his foes in the press and parliament “to hold off on the celebrations” and dismissed the accusations as “a lot of hot air.”
“All previous so-called affairs have proved baseless, and so it will be with the allegations now published in the media,” Netanyahu said before police investigators arrived at his residence.
“They won’t come to anything, because there isn’t anything,” he said.
Writing on his Facebook page last week, Netanyahu urged his followers to recall: “Bibi tours – nothing! A claim of illicit campaign funding – nothing! A claim of skewing primary results – nothing! A claim of receiving gifts abroad and funding for flights – nothing!”
“Will someone in the media apologize for the thousands of headlines, hours of broadcasting the ‘investigative journalism at its best’ that have turned out to be total nonsense?” Netanyahu asked.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Ruth Eglash, William Booth
{Matzav.com Israel}
i started to read this article about Netanyahu. when i was half way thru with it i scanned my eyes to the bottom and saw that the washington prust is the source. that was enough for me to label this article “fake news” or, the very least, very inaccurate. the washington prust and obama are literally in collusion with each other. now that mr hussein o is becoming mr private citizen in just about 11 days, he doesn’t want his legacy to be tainted by everyone saying he’s anti israel. what better way is there than to besmirch Netanyahu and what better vehicle is there than the washington prust?
Agreed! It’s like the democrats are trying to paint him in a terrible light as they usually do to their rivals for political reasons.
And they are accusing Russia of influencing the election and tampering with another country’s leadership? Pot calling the kettle black (sorry, “African-American”).