Many Israelis believe any accusations made against Binyamin Netanyahu are a political attempt to compromise him, his party and the ruling coalition, others believe he is corrupt in any event and the actual charges aren’t important. That’s what left-leaning anti-Netanyahu newspaper Ha’aretz journalist Anshel Pfeffer conveyed in an interview with Lithuanian National Radio.
Asked what exactly is going on with two separate accusations against Netanyahu–one alleging he accepted bribes and the other that he attempted to influence newspapers–Pfeffer said an on-going investigation has only recently come to the public’s attention. He said police have been investigating the prime minister for months on allegations concerning his financial affairs and agreements. Pfeffer said the prime minister is a suspect in both cases.
The Israeli reporter explained the first investigation sought to determine whether gifts Netanyahu received could be considered bribes. Netanyahu said they were merely gifts from friends, while investigators assessed a high value for the Cuban cigars, alcoholic drinks and other gifts from rich and influential figures. Pfeffer told Lithuanian state radio the value of the gifts was in the hundreds of thousands of shekels [one euro equals approximately 4 Israeli shekels, so 100,000 shekels equals about 25,000 euros as of January 27, 2017].
Asked about the other investigation, Pfeffer explained it concerned the prime minister’s meeting with the publisher of the newspaper Ydeiot Aharanot, one of the most influential in Israel, according to him. It’s alleged publisher Arnon Mozes agreed to change the “tone” of one article about Netanyahu in exchange for the prime minister’s help in shutting down the newspaper Israel HaYom, which is distributed free of charge and which was said to have been cutting into the profits of other newspapers. Investigators are trying to determine whether such a deal was actually made in conversations between the prime minister and Mozes. If they believe they have some proof, it will be up to the prosecutor general to determine whether to take the case to court.
Pfeffer characterized Israelis’ reaction to the charges as falling into two camps. One group thinks any accusations against Netanyahu are politically motivated, while the other believes Netanyahu is corrupt, regardless of the truth of these specific accusations. He said the latest accusations probably haven’t caused any Israelis to switch camps.