The Knesset Ethics Committee has ruled that Defense Minister Ehud Barak must reimburse the state for his upgraded airline tickets for him and his wife Nili. The minister upgraded from business class to first class, perceived by some as receiving services for free. The incident links to the harsh report released by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, who cites excessive spending at the Paris Air Show. At the time, in November 2009, YWN-Israel reported on the minister’s fine taste, booking himself in a suite costing taxpayers NIS 20,000 a night.

MK (Ichud HaLeumi) Uri Ariel filed a complaint with the Knesset committee after learning of Barak’s upgrade, which he interprets as accepting gifts from El Al which he is not entitled to, and he should have paid for the first class upgrade.

In his defense, Barak explained the trip was official state business, adding as a former prime minister he did not feel he was doing anything illegal or unethical.

El Al officials also explained this is a long-standing custom, to automatically upgrade senior ministers, as the airline has done many times in the past.

The Ethics Committee however ruled that the minister did not receive the upgrade because he is a former prime minister, or because he is currently the defense minister, but because he is a MK and as such, he is not permitted to accept such a gift from El Al, and must pay the difference between the business class and first class tickets for him and his wife. The committee ruled this was not a symbolic gesture and therefore acceptable gift, but a gift of significant substance and therefore, unacceptable.

Labor Party officials came to Barak’s defense, stating Barak is far from the first senior minister to accept a seating upgrade, therefore rejecting the decision to single him out as having done something unacceptable or illegal.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)