The corruption scandal around Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deepened after several of his closest associates were arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice, fraud and breach of trust.
The latest joint investigation between police and the Israel Securities Authority is the fourth to involve the Israeli leader or his inner circle, “entangling a growing number of those closest to the Prime Minister”, says CNN.
Among those arrested yesterday were Nir Hefetz, Netanyahu’s former family spokesperson who was accused of bribing a judge into dropping a criminal investigation involving the Prime Minister’s wife, and Shaul Elovitch, the multi-millionaire owner of an Israeli news organisation and a close friend of Netanyahu.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While the Prime Minister has not been named as a suspect in relation to the former corruption scandal involving an Israeli telecommunications company, he has been implicated by association after Israeli media reported he received favourable coverage for himself and his family while he was acting Minister of Communications from late 2014 to February last year.
The New York Times says the latest allegations “significantly raise the level of political and legal peril the Prime Minister faces, suggesting that he or some in his camp could be exposed to charges of obstructing justice”.
Last week, in connection with two other cases, Israeli police recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust, “opening the way for what could be the biggest challenge yet to the right-wing leader’s political survival”, says Reuters.
He is accused of receiving lavish gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. “In return, police say, Netanyahu had operated on Milchan’s behalf on US visa matters, introduced a tax break and connected him with an Indian businessman,” reports The Guardian.
Yet despite growing pressure, Netanyahu has remained defiant, slamming the latest wave of arrests as part of a media-propelled “witch-hunt”.
At home, opponents from the Israeli left are demanding he resign or declared himself “incapacitated” and “even Israel’s enemies have begun seizing on Netanyahu’s legal predicament”, says The New York Times.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif responded to threats from Netanyahu by alluding to Israel’s “domestic corruption” problem.
Netanyahu’s coalition partners will back him for now, as they wait for the attorney general to decide whether to indict him. But as suspicions grow, “it becomes more difficult politically to support Netanyahu”, says CNN.
-
September 1 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Labor Day picnic, branding strategy, and more
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?
Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
The IDF's manpower problemThe Explainer Israeli military's shortage of up to 12,000 troops results in call-up for tens of thousands of reservists
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest warSpeed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Israeli security cabinet OKs Gaza City takeoverSpeed Read Netanyahu approved a proposal for Israeli Defense Forces to take over the largest population center in the Gaza Strip
-
An ancient Israeli cave teaches new archaeological lessonsThe Explainer The cave is believed to be one of the world's oldest burial sites
