PM confidant’s plea bargain shakes the ground under Netanyahu’s feet
The corruption probes and “revelations” swirling around the prime minister are becoming a political threat – even without indictments. The signing of a plea bargain by former Communications Ministry Director General Shlomo Filber early Wednesday, Feb. 21 – for testimony against the prime minister in Dossier 4000 – tops the critical mass building up politically against Netanyahu. Filber’s testimony may or may not confirm police suspicion that in 2015, he supplied insider information to a friend of the prime minister, Shaul Elovitch, a tycoon whose businesses included the big telecom company Bezeq. Netanyahu then held Communications portfolio. Filber’s consent to the plea bargain is in itself a political blow for the prime minister. He shot back with a denial of involvement in this case, explaining that when he held that portfolio, all decision-making for Bezeq regularly passed through and required the approval of all the relevant professional and legal channels.
While the content of Filber’s testimony is still an unknown factor, what is known is that two former dossiers, 1000 and 2000, which were treated as major bribe scandals for more than a year, are languishing for insufficient evidence, although then too a plea bargain was signed with a suspect. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is still not satisfied with the police case of graft against the prime minister and is considering reducing the charge to breach of trust or fraud, or even closure.
As for Dossier 4000, which comes up to fill the empty space, Filber will be asked if he acted for prime minister in allegedly promoting Elovitch’s multimillion business interests, in return for favorable coverage for Netanyahu and members of his family by the Internet news site Walla! which is owned by the tycoon. The flimsiness of this charge derives from the site’s negligible standing and influence.
Yet the buildup of “revelations” has driven Netanyahu, who withstood a mainly hostile media for 12 years, to use Facebook for a video in which he points out that none of the police probes have so far proved any cases against him. “Every two hours, someone invents a new case,” he claims. “They will soon accuse me of murdering Arlozorov” (The reference is to the never-solved political murder that shook the Jewish community in pre-state Israel of 1933).
And indeed, on Tuesday, before the Filber plea-bargain sensation, another “case” hit the front pages. This one had more serious connotations than the so far unsubstantiated allegations against the prime minister, because it may impugn the judiciary at the highest level. According to the new Dossier 1720, Nir Hefetz, a former PR adviser to Netanyahu, asked a free-lance strategic consultant called Ellie Kamir to sound out Judge Hila Gerstel on her willingness to drop the charges against Mrs. Sarah Netanyahu in return for the job of Attorney General. At the time, Justice Gerstel, it is claimed, confided the alleged proposition to her good friend Esther Hayut, who has since been appointed President of the Supreme Court. Challenged Tuesday for failing to promptly go to the police with this information, Justice Hayut hedged by claiming that Gerstel did not supply her with details or names and the incident was therefore “too vague for further action.”
The prime minister’s wife figures prominently in media innuendo. One of the charges against her is of fraud for ordering private cordon bleu meals at state expense. Mandelblit is still considering whether or not the case against her warrants indictment.
However, the conduct of two judges in this affair is highly questionable. It also casts doubt on whether the proposition really happened. Even the vaguest information about an alleged attempt to bribe a judge should have been subjected to the most rigorous investigation by the law enforcement authorities. It is not too late to grill both judges to get at the truth.
This episode uncovered an unsavory suspicion. Are “strategic consultants” regularly employed as intermediaries for influencing court decisions, as rumored widely in recent years? If that is so, the judiciary needs an urgent housecleaning even before the political shakeup that may lie ahead.
Before the latest development, Netanyahu described the never-ending spate of allegations tumbling on his head as a campaign of slander against him personally and vilification of his family. He vowed to remain at his post and continue to govern by the will of the voter, not police investigators. Until Wednesday, his party and coalition partners stood behind him “pending an indictment.” When canvassed, most respondents of the general public say they see no alternative leader with the same pair of safe hands for leading the country against its enemies and a comparable resonant voice on Israel’s behalf on the international stage. The country is also thriving economically as never before, although not enough of the prosperity trickles down. So, has Binyamin Netanyahu’s long winning streak finally run out? Or can he turn his fortunes around as he has many times before?
So if a politican is disliked by a party that can not do something against him or her they start to dig for stinking mud. The russians call it Compromat compromizing materials.
Then the game is to throw the shit against the fan in order to pest the air.
So there are a lot pro fakestinian NGOs in israel and the rest of the world who want to get rid of Netanyahu. So they throw shit at the fan.
Best defence is ti ignore it.
In younger history press claimed politicans not to be fit for their job for being homosexual so here tge sucessfull politican outed himself to be homosexual ,” so I am gay and now what you say?” And the shit dissolved.
So just ignore the shit that made it to the blades of the fan is the best strategy.
Bibi never step back as you do a great job for Israel.
Right on !
The politics in Israel are complex and dirty. But in order to understand it you have to find answers to two simple questions: ( in current situation ) who will benefit from a fall of Netanyahu ? and who are the people seeking his demise? ( or more precise who’s camp are they in? ) The answer is one and remarkably simple: the enemies of Israel ( Ishmaelim – the hostile muslims with their false claim on the land of Israel- their fore mother Hagar was a slave of Jewish fore mother Sarah and it’s well known that descendants of a slave can’t inherit.) And, of course, in the enemy camp reside self hating jews that care only about political gains and power.
two things I’m getting:-
1. even the fck eu’s are controlled by the hidden hand of corruption.
2. cui bono? that’s rich.
RatSputum, You left out a third thing you’re getting.
3. Nakba.
P.S. Too bad your handlers in Moscow didn’t get Hillary elected.
totally agree. the same thing is happening here in america with Trump. They want him out so they can establish the new world order. they also want to divide and destroy israel by getting Bibi out. I pray for Trump and Bibi. God bless Israel.
But only Israel has the chutzpah to have a political rival be the chief witness in one of the politically motivated phony cases
Agree. In the U.S., Abbas has become the alter-ego of the Democratic Party. And the associated Jewish groups.
Right on !
Right on !
HardLeftBDS Jews r a cancer on our planet
They are not Jews. They are the bastard children of the assimilated generation. Their children will not know what Judaism is. Its time for the Jewish people to disown anyone who claims to be Jewish and anti-Israel. Its no different than claiming to be a Spaniard who supports the Islamic occupation of Spain. Haaretz and other fifth-column newspapers are kept alive by foreign donations from anti-Israel groups. They have maybe 10,000 subscribers total. Their Leftist god-less agenda is stoking the fires of anti-semitism around the world, and they must be stopped. It is time for a patriotic revolution in Israel.
without an indictment there is nothing
with an indictment there is a little bit more than nothing, but it depends
What is needed is a complete investigation into those making allegations. Do any of them have their positions as a result of “connections” or favors? Several accusers are politically connected to the opposition so normally that would make their accusations “political” and immediately thrown out.
If this campaign against the PM smells bad, then that is because we see an effort world-wide on the part of leftists to use the bureaucracy, NGOs, the left-wing media, politicized police and the judicial arms to unseat conservative-minded people who are not globalists, leftists, pro-Islamists, or people who want the West to disappear and be replaced by the 3rd world.
This is also happening to Trump and the biased and corrupt accusers of Trump have been shown to be involved in selling a major uranium company to the Russians and accepting reciprocal bribes from the Russians for the fast-tracking of that sale, employing spies, working with Russians to destabilize America, using the state department, the IRA and FBI as their propaganda arms and attack dogs against their opposition, using secret servers to avoid detection of matters related to state, and possibly involved in killing Seth Rich and maybe others who had the proof of some or all of their treachery.
typo: IRA = IRS
Right on ! Hang on, Bibi – most Israelis love you !
LawFare hits Israel.
Sara ate cordon bleu meals at state expense. Such a “shonda”. Would the left be satisfied, if she regurgitates the food? Israel, doesn’t know how lucky they are. In America, Obama, treated the Treasury, as his personal bank account and Hillary sold 20% of the uranium supply to an enemy and received a commission through her foundation.
Also happened to PM Harper in Canada. Libtards cannot stand democracy especially when they lose at the polls.
This is nothing, but a well organized and funded leftist hate-campaign against Netanyahu — during critical times for the Jewish state ! Most Israelis are smarter than this and remain loyal to Bibi !
I think it’s the time for all who support him to show their support in very visible way.
mashiach will be here soon. don”t you see?
Big deal? No. Move on to important stories. Thus us a waste of time & serves no real purpose.
I believe that leaders of most countries act similarly.
Again I say – let’s see the BIG picture !
The need to defend Israel and the Jewish people is greater today than ever.
Since Abba Eban – no one has represented Israel half as effectively as PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
He is a true hero of Israel and I don’t care if not all his views are agreed with.
I don’t care if some self-serving hypocrites are feverishly trying to undermine him and Israel by howling about comparatively insignificant tiny alleged misdeeds.
What is FAR MORE important and eclipses all of this comparatively petty backstabbing and nitpicking, is the essential role PM Netanyahu plays in history, PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE.
What he does for Israel is worth billions – in leadership, PR and defending Israel’s image.
There is a media war for Israel in an increasingly anti-Semitic world. Israel’s enemies are laughing.
It reminds me of those who loudly celebrated worldwide on 911.
I believe all who opportunistically try to undermine Benjamin Netanyahu are shameless hypocrites undermining Israel at this time.
It is tantamount to treason, even if there were other real leaders in Israel today, but sadly there are none of his caliber.
Can you imagine how much precious time and energy is wasted stressing over all of this rubbish?
Who benefits from undermining Netanyahu? – Israel’s enemies.
Looking at the big picture, what rational realistic person would want to stand with them?
The backstabbing witch hunt must stop and Netanyahu must continue unhindered.
How totally true ! In any normal country at least the Police is generally on the right side of the political spectrum – but not in the Jewish state !
Ok, so what I’m taking away from just about all the comments here is that it doesn’t matter what’s alleged against someone or what the evidence is to support the allegations. All that matters is who’s making the allegations and what their purported motives are for doing so, or at least whatever the commenters think the motives are.
A lot of you alleging that there’s some sort of conspiracy against Trump/Netanyahu/Jesus would be calling for the accuseds’ heads to be chopped off, if the same charges were filed against their political opponents instead. Justice is justice, the system isn’t there for your personal convenience just so you can play by different rules than everyone else.
I think it is obvious that all people in positions of greater power, are naturally inclined to push their personal agenda, in some measure. As the accusations stand against The Prime Minister, surely there is equal potential for the same measure of ‘personal inlfuence’ to be levelled at any other dignitaries and postion, which includes the judiciary.
Well apparently a high level judge is now being investigated for colluding with Netanyahu, and I see no reason why the judiciary should be immune to the long hand of the law any differently than ordinary citizens. The law is there because it’s meant to be obeyed by all citizens- that’s how we ensure fair and equal opportunities in a democracy.
If you simply assume that all politicians are corrupt and should therefore be welcomed to the taxpayer trough, you’re basically inviting them to pig out at your personal expense while disregarding your personal needs and rights. There are plenty of people out there with clean slates and reputations, and if you gave them a chance to prove themselves for once in their lives, you would have a much better chance at receiving quality governance. You would set the bar much higher for all future politicians who wish to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and serve the voting public.
You make a great point and I think that it deserves an answer. Yes, elected officials and citizens should follow and be held to the same laws. The dossiers on the PM appear to be a mixture of phony and real accusations but some are repeats which have already been addressed or did not reach an actionable level where the evidence supported the charges.
I also think that we live in a world where certain elites are trying very hard to unseat conservative-minded leaders. They have succeeded to push Harper of Canada out of office in an election where much support was illegally and/or legally given to the Liberals from left-wing Soros-style US and Canadian groups and others like TIDES.
In the USA, there is a shadow government which is very powerful with Obama as its leader in hiding. The anti-Trump forces make as many accusations as they can dream up to shower the trump administration – most of them scurrilous, executed with malice and unfounded.
If Israel really wants to go down the path of ousting their elected PM – a hero for withstanding the pressures of office for half his lifetime – then go ahead it is always possible – screw yourselves but just realize that nothing good will come of it at a time when you need unity and leadership. If this PM did get 200k of goodies then so what…Abbas is rich and Arafat before him was a billionaire. The region is filled with wealthy potentates whose get that way because they specialize in jihad, terror and jew hate. I think that you should cut your PM some slack and allow him a few luxuries and allow him to have some discretion on who he surrounds himself with in the political environment where everyone is a suspect and honesty is a liability, not a virtue, in such positions of power if survival is to be possible over the long term.
If the Prime Minister’s office isn’t luxurious enough to attract good candidates, then perhaps the salary and perks should be raised, but it’s not the PM’s entitlement to go above the law and help himself to the candy jar. Abbas, Arafat and every other criminal embezzler deserve to be in jail for their embezzlement, and that’s an issue for their own citizens and financiers to worry about, not Israelis. Israel deserves a morally upstanding leader who looks out for the interests of the general voting public, not someone who’s merely less corrupt than other tyrants in the neighbourhood.
Furthermore, please stop making up ignorant crap about Canada’s election. I’m a Canadian citizen, I reluctantly voted for Harper myself, I wasn’t happy at all to see another Trudeau effectively coronated by the public based on having a famous last name. Nonetheless, I can confidently tell you that whatever irregularities occurred during the election, Harper and his Conservatives benefited a great deal more from shady financiers and other dirty tricks, and they were the ones who wrote all the rules leading up to the vote. A majority of Canadians voted for Trudeau and other alternatives to Harper, mainly because they were sick and tired of seeing him appealing almost exclusively to the oil industry and the bigot vote while largely ignoring the diverse wishes and needs of the general population, especially those struggling to make their monthly bill payments.
Canadians don’t generally bank on Jesus rewarding them for keeping their mouths shut and working long hours for minimum wage with no prospects of upward mobility.
I see that you are a cheerleader for the deep (leftist) state. There is proof that certain interference and lots of money went to elect Liberals but you put in a false accusation on the conservatives out of thin air.
In the same way as you lie about the Harper government, your ilk lie about Trump and Netanyahu.
That is what raises this to something more than a proper investigation and puts it into the category of a biased witch hunt.
That is why everyone interested in free and fair elections and in expressing their opposition to the deep state must resist and win against your style of leftist power hunger and propaganda based on the lies of a well organized left-wing media.
Ok well if you get to label me a leftist “liberal” communist sympathizer because I don’t back your golden boys, then I get to label you as an ignorant cave-dwelling bigot who knows nothing about Canadian politics and probably just as little about how it works in the US.
Instead of conducting armchair court trials from your computer desk based on what you blindly imagine the Israeli prosecutor’s evidence to be, why don’t you find for me a single quote where Stephen Harper or any of his top party officials questioned the legitimacy of the 2015 Canadian federal election. I myself voted for Harper, and it’s because of his appeal to intolerant, tyrannical-minded people like yourself that I came to seriously regret it afterwards, even though it made no difference to the outcome. Most Canadians were already long ago fed up with the likes of you always hunting around looking for someone to persecute for being different from you in some noticeable way.
Democracy isn’t this magical system where everyone agrees with you in good times, but any time the majority of the people disagree with you and the government takes their side, it’s because Satan possessed the Deputy Prime Minister’s soul.
Common Nonsense,
> Trump/Netanyahu/Jesus would be calling for the accuseds’ heads to be chopped off
What ’bout MOOOOOOhammed? In your book, MOOOOOOOhammed’s not a head chopper? You have the PC bit firmly in your sore mouth?
No, that’s not what I wrote, you just altered the subject attached to the predicate. Try signing up with Hooked on Phonics if you need it explained to you.
Common Nonsense,
Wrong comrade. I cut and pasted one of your usual idiotic lines, a line where you suggest that Trump/Netanyahu/Jesus would behead someone, but leave out a REAL headchopper, the Mohammedeans prophet.
Try less Taqiyya and more Truth.
I never said that Trump/Netanyahy/Jesus would behead anyone, I was referring to the morons who think Israel’s police are somehow conspiring against these figures. The number is 1-800-PHONICS, get cracking there companero.
I do not believe that you are anything other than a troll for the left-wing and pushing your propaganda around in these forums. Does Soros or one of his organizations at least pay you well?
You say (two posts above) that you voted for Harper in Canada and then regretted it. I doubt your story. Anyway, you probably got what you wanted from the last Canadian election – a man-boy who loves the most radical terrorists and identifies with Communist China and their system of government, visits all the radical mosques in Canada and implemented a motion and perhaps pending legislation based on this motion M-103 to prevent anyone from framing Islam in a bad light or presenting what it actually says in their holy books for fear of insulting jihadists.
Yes, you identify with a real winner and it shows your real intentions with respect to Netanyahu. Were you involved in helping Obama stop Netanyahu from being elected too? You failed and you failed to oust Trump and you will fail to oust Netanyahu in this latest round of the deep state Alinskyites.
Since you clearly know jack squat about Canadian politics and can’t be bothered to educate yourself with neutral sources that actually care about Canadians (Fox likes to crap on our heads at every opportunity regardless of who’s in charge), I really don’t care about your opinions or what you believe about how I voted. Opinions are like arseholes, every person’s got one, including you. Thankfully even Harper himself isn’t looney enough to make the kinds of ridiculous assertions you’re pushing here.
I am far from thrilled to see my country run by a substitute high school teacher/snowboard instructor, but I’d still rather have the “man-boy” in charge than some angry savage who likes shooting guns while drinking copious amounts of whiskey, and who always has some minority-of-the-week on his target list. The fact that you have to accuse every person who disagrees with you of being on some foreign payroll just shows you have nothing of value to contribute to factual discussions.
How could I be involved in the spat between Obama and Netanyahu when I’m a Canadian citizen and have only visited Israel for a week out of my entire life? I’m no Netanyahu fan, as I think he will keep importing racist Russians into the country to go colonize what’s left of the West Bank, throw rocks at Palestinian farmers and ruin any chance of Israel ever gaining global acceptance. However, I also accept that it’s up to the Israeli people to decide who they elect, and it’s also up to them to punish politicians who break the law and stick their hands in the cookie jar, as it appears might be the case here.
You confuse us because in a previous post you said you reluctantly voted for Harper and then were sorry you did it. Why would you be reluctant to vote for the most honest, most pro-freedom, pro-Israel PM Canada has ever had? I distrust people who equivocate and then default to the side of the worst choices because their “progressive” leftism has them all torn up with guilt for seeing evil as evil and good as good.
Read this about foreign manipulation during the last Canadian election. Maybe you are the one “Common Sense,” who needs to do some reading.
http://calgaryherald.com/news/national/new-report-alleges-outside-influence-in-canadas-2015-federal-election
It is alarming to see that a large demographic of Israel, is willing to throw itself under the Goyim & haters bus. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stood resolutely and effectively against these forces for years, but now that Iran is knocking on your door your disaffected are using every means of attack for change, to who? and what will be the outcome for all Israel. Am Yisrael Kai.
Why would Israel want to be defended by a corrupt criminal? Didn’t seem to go so well when Olmert was in charge, did it? The outcome would be that Israel has a chance of being defended by someone who has the people’s safety and interests as their number 1 priority, rather than stuffing their own pockets or rewarding their buddies.
Slanderous post. Netanyahu is not corrupt- you are. Having a fancy dinner at the expense of the Sate and you think that is corruption.. gift of cigars is corrupting the State.. absurd. No one has or can do a better job defending the State and building its economy while fending off internal enemies than Netanyahu. His image to world- representing Israel could not be better. Americans respect him and wished he were our President instead of the disaster named Obama or his corrupt alter-ego Hillary Shame on you Andrew- that is if you are capable of feeling shame. G-d Bless Netanyahu and G-d Bless Donald Trump.
I am delighted by the outpouring of support for Netanyahu and the opposition against his detractors, as demonstrated by the reader’s comments here. The retards that apparently have nothing better to do than open one “Dossier” after another against Netanyahu, while Jews get attacked in Israel by terrorists over and over again, should either start doing their real job, or resign. They have no business playing into the hands of our enemies. Maybe the Shin Bet should investigate how these retards are being bribed by foreign forces to bring Netanyahu down?
I see, so if Israel’s under attack by foreign threats, you’re saying that its politicians should be able to do whatever the hell they want whenever they want, just like third world dictators.
Any sovereign nation under attack by foreign threats (ie. Third World Dictatorships or Theocracies like Syria, Fascist Iran), its politicians should be able to do whatever the hell they need to do to eliminate the threat, just like FIRST World leaders in WW2.
How does Netanyahu stuffing his pockets, and pandering to special interests at the expense of the general voting public, contribute to Israel’s national security?
Common Nonsense,
When did you stop beating your wife/husband/partner/goat?
When is there going to be an audit of the tens of BILLIONS of dollars/euros that have been lavished on Arafat, Abyss, Hamass and company, and has been sent to Swiss bank accounts to line the pockets of Swiss money managers and Arab dictators???
So if you want to launch personal attacks on me, I take it you’re admitting you have no point? The Arab dictators are for the Arabs to worry about, don’t give them money if you don’t like them. If you took your head out of your arse for 5 minutes, you’d notice that Israel is not an Arab dictatorship and has no need to become one.
Indicting Netanyahu comes from the same mentality of voluntarily walking to the train stations to be long journey murdered some 75 years ago. The liberal, self-righteous Jews who call for his indictment are dumber than a bag of suicidal hammers wherein Israel’s enemies are relishing in the ridiculous accusations.
How tragically true ! Still, the solid majority of true patriots are 100% behind Netanyahu !
If even Yosef Stalin endorses Netanyahu, he must surely be Israel’s man. To the Gulags with everyone else!
When the Left / Progs back jihadis, head choppers, you know the Left has lost its way.
See jeremy corbyn and his LaBOOR Party.
Nonsense must be common in your home.
[snip]
“What both the Bush and Obama regimes did by their defacto ending the investigation into the assassination of US Federal Prosecutor Tom Wales, though, this report concludes, cannot be said of President Trump—and as evidenced by US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein rushing to Seattle today in order to reopen this assassination investigation—and whom SVR analysts state is being aided by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whose knowledge of what his nations “art students” discovered at Naval Magazine Indian Island nano-thermite ammunition facility will be the key to exposing the entire 9/11 plot—thus making both Trump and Netanyahu the most feared enemies the “Deep State” have ever encountered—and is why both of them remain under the most sustained attacks ever experienced in modern times by any world leaders.”
Fears Erupt After Trump-Russia Collusion Probe Stunningly Pivots To 9/11 Investigation
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index2493.htm
Just as dangers beckon, with real enemies around us, Iran on our doorstep, Jew haters and Soros like NGOs are funding and supporting the campaign against Netanyahu. Shame on Lapid, Yaalon, Barak, Herzog the bagman, and AlSheikh for being a tool. The great majority in Israel support Netanyahu, who must defend the Jew haters campaign as he would another warfront. Israel is with you Netanyahu.
Netanyahu doesn’t have a monopoly on representing the Jewish people; he’s just another politician, and apparently a very corrupt one at that.
If Israel doesn’t begin to deal, and I mean DEAL, with its leftists, pretty soon there won’t be an Israel.
Leftists are not normal humans nor have any decency.
All those cops who participated in the current witch hunt should be sent to patrol Gaza with a plastic fork each.
This is merely one of the reasons why Israel has the problems it does. The country should be operated according to the dictates of the Torah. These politicians are merely public servants who are elected and paid to do a job. They are not true leaders. Only a handful actually know what they are doing and PM Netanyahu is not one of them.
I dont know what really happened and if Bibi was doing illegal things.
However, I question the validity of this ‘informers’ motives. By saying what the police want to hear , he can stay OUT of JAIL. Does that make him a reliable witness?
Israel’s right wing benevolence towards the left is suicidal.
Democracy serves nothing if Israel is dead.
Does anybody think Israel is a metaphysically given?
It’s a post stamp of a nation who can loose zero wars and make zero real mistakes.
Israel’s enemies, including the left, only have to win once.
Democracy is for decent people not for leftists.
Leftists and frankenstineans are the same animal.
Leftists are nothing but maggots.