Israeli police have recommended that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu be indicted on three separate corruption cases. According to Harvard Law Professor-emeritus Alan Dershowitz, there does not seem to be enough evidence to convict the Prime Minister for corruption in at least one of the cases.
The case referred to as Case 2000 surrounds allegations that the Prime Minister negotiated with the publisher of Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth, in order to receive better coverage in the press. In return he would help the publisher, Arnon Mozes, with a number of issues to his benefit.
According to Dershowitz, this is the kind of thing that all politicians do anyway and there isn’t enough evidence to convict the Prime Minister for wrongdoings.
In an interview with Army Radio on Thursday, Dershowitz said: “There is not enough proof of a criminal offense. I think it is very dangerous to start indicting people based on negotiations with newspapers. That’s what politicians do. To start interfering in the relationship between media and the government poses a tremendous danger to free speech and a tremendous danger to democracy.”
In the third case against the Prime Minister known as Case 4000, Netanyahu is suspected of corrupt and illegal activity in pushing forward regulatory decisions as Communications Minister and Prime Minister between 2015 – 2017 that would benefit Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Bezeq. Netanyahu would in return get favorable coverage on Walla a Bezeq owned news site.
All three files are currently sitting with the Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, who has to determine whether or not to press charges against the Prime Minister.
It is unclear as to whether Mandelblit will announce a decision prior to the election on April 9th. However, Israeli media reported that even should the Attorney General decide to press charges, the Prime Minister will not resign nor drop out of candidacy for Prime Minister in the upcoming elections even if he were already in a criminal trial.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
8 Responses
Mr. Dershowitz is not qualified in Israeli law.
This is nothing but criminal in itself
It’s a political move
The Netanyahu family have given most of their lives up for the sake of the Jewish people
They gave us their brother in Entebbi
We should show a little gratitude whether we agree with his politics or not he has served for not than most
How does professor Dershowitz know what evidence they have!? Is he on the investigation?
As if Dershowitz has access to Israeli police files. Give me a break. His knee jerk reactions to defend Drumpf, Bibi and others might make a hero in some quarters but are rather pathetic. Perhaps his lifelong job of defending all sorts of criminals creates a biased mindset.
Firstly, how would he know what the prosecutors have?
Second, he thought Olmert was innocent as well.
Bibi has FOUR separate investigations into his conduct. I wouldn’t bet against all of them. The fact that there are so many question marks surrounding him is a good enough reason to send him home.
Thank you Professor Dershowitz for being the voice of reason.
and Like the late Mayor Ed Koch used to call himself, “a Liberal with Sanity”
Spoken from the mouth of a man who defended OJ Simpson
I have no idea what the professor knows or dosen’t know
All I know is that even if there is evidence against Netanyahu – he must be much “cleaner” than most politicians as he has been hounde byhthe left for so many yrs and they haven’t yet managed to find anything subtantial
And besides , who cares if he got some cigars or champagnes – I don’t love him either (I live here) but ther is NO ONE ELSE right now!!!!