2016–2018 investigations involving Benjamin Netanyahu

During Benjamin Netanyahu's fourth premiership, a number of alleged corruption scandals have been investigated involving Netanyahu and his close political circle. The Israel Police began investigating Netanyahu starting in December 2016. The investigations, which involve prominent Israeli businessmen, ministers, and journalists, are ongoing. Police have already recommended indictments against Netanyahu in two cases and are investigating a third.

The first of the investigations, dubbed "Case 1000" opened officially in December 2016. This investigations looked into valuable presents and gifts received by Netanyahu, and his family throughout the years from several known wealthy acquaintances of the family.

• "Case 2000" deals with recorded conversations PM Netanyahu had with the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, one of the largest newspapers in circulation in Israel. During these conversations Netanyahu is believed to have proposed to push legislation harming Yedioth's major competitor, Israel Hayom, in exchange for more flattering and positive coverage of himself in Yedioth.

• "Case 3000" does not directly involve Netanyahu, as it involves a list of business men, lawyers, and officials in the security organizations in Israel, and their connection to a deal made between Israel and Germany in what may be a bribed deal, for the purchase of three Dolphin-class submarines and four Sa'ar 6-class corvette warships. Some of these individuals are related to Netanyahu in a professional or family ties.

• "Case 4000" regards telecommunications company Bezeq's relationship with its regulator, the communication ministry (Netanyahu being the minister until February 2017), and favorable coverage to Netanyahu in Walla!.
• Case "1270" is an offshoot of "4000" and involves an alleged appointment bribe offer to a Attorney General of Israel candidate in exchange for dropping a case against Netanyahu's wife.

• Police have recommended Netanyahu be charged by the attorney general in "1000" and "2000". Netanyahu is a suspect in "1270" and "4000". As of February 2018 Netanyahu is not a suspect in "3000".

Case 1000

Netanyahu is currently being investigated for receiving valuable gifts from several billionaires, most notably James Packer, and Arnon Milchan. The investigation centers around expensive cigars, champagne, and jewelry for Netanyahu's wife Sara costing hundreds of thousands of shekels. The family's claim is that these were justified gifts between friends. The police is investigating if anything was given in exchange for these gifts. Another report cites the price being upwards of one million shekels.^[1][2]

Case 1270

Case 1270 is the suspicion that Netanyahu's former media advisor offered District Court president Hila Gerstel an appointment to the vacated Attorney General of Israel in exchange for closing a case against Netanyahu's wife, an offer Gerstel refused.^[3] The case has been compared to the "Bar-On Hebron affair" in 1997, during Netanyahu's first term, involving the appointment of Roni Bar-On to attorney general.^[4]

Case 2000

The two largest newspapers in circulation in Israel are: Yedioth Ahronoth, and Israel Hayom. Israel Hayom is owned (either directly or indirectly) by Sheldon Adelson, a personal friend and benefactor of Netanyahu. Given this relationship Israel Hayom is often criticized by the political left saying that the newspaper is biased and portrays Netanyahu in an often unfairly positive light. Meanwhile, Yedioth is considered to not be politically affiliated with Netanyahu, and he and his cabinet members have often critizised the paper's journalists of being unfairly negative towards Netanyahu. Netanyahu and the Editor of Yedioth, Arnon "Noni" Moses held recorded conversations between the two of them, with Netanyahu offering to push legislation that would harm Yedioth's main competitor, Israel Yahom. In turn Moses would hire journalists more to Netanyahu's liking, who would steer the general stance of the paper to one that is more favorable to Netanyahu.^[2]

Case 3000

Three Dolphin-class submarine and four Sa'ar 6-class corvette were purchased from the German company ThyssenKrupp by Israel. The suspicion in this case refers to swaying the deal in ThyssenKrup's favor for the personal gain of several of the people involved. Netanyahu is not a suspect in Case 3000, though his cousin and personal lawyer David Shimron, who also represented the German company in Israel, is one of the main suspects.^[2]

Case 4000

Case 4000 involves the communication conglomerate Bezeq. The investigation is checking whether there were relations between members of Netanyahu's staff and high end officials at Bezeq, and if there were falsehoods in regards to paperwork leading to favorable business dealings with said officials as well as possible favorable reporting to Netanyahu by Walla!.^[5]

Protests

Several events have followed the investigations as they had widespread implications. As of September 2017, protesters have held Sunday rallies in Petah Tikva for 41 consecutive weeks to protest what they claim as interference with the investigations by the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.^[6][7] After many weeks of one sided protests, supporters of Netanyahu (mainly Likud party members) organized counter protests. In early August 2017, leader of the coalition David Bitan began calling to arms the members of the Likud party, first in the form of the counter protests in Petach Tikva, later by threatening any party member who won't stand behind Netanyahu of "getting even" in the next primary season, and finally in a large rally to show support. The rally was held in Tel Aviv and had a wide showing of the majority of the Knesset members from the Likud party. During the rally Netanyahu gave a controversial speech, accusing the media of being a part of a left wing coalition and plotting against not only him, but the entire right wing. Opponents of Netanyahu argued that this was baseless, first because he is being investigated personally, as opposed to the entire Likud party, and because both Roni Alsheikh (Chief of the Israeli Police) and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit were appointed by Netanyahu himself.^[8]

See also

• Corruption in Israel

References

• "PM gifts probe could drag on for many months — report". Times of Israel. June 2, 2017.
• "Is Netanyahu in Trouble? The Four Corruption Cases Surrounding Israel's Prime Minister". Haaretz. July 17, 2017.