Israeli PM Netanyahu’s Wife Sara Goes On Trial In ‘Prepared Food Affair’

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s wife was set to stand trial Sunday in what has been dubbed the “Prepared Food Affair.” Sara Netanyahu was indicted in June for fraud and breach of public trust for allegedly hiding the fact that the Prime Minister’s Residence employed a cook between September 2010 and March 2013. Israel’s First Lady purportedly was attempting to circumvent regulations preventing her from ordering prepared foods if a paid chef is on-site. Despite retaining a cook during this period, Sara Netanyahu is believed to have obtained about $100,000 in state funding for hundreds of take-out orders in contravention of the law. The trial comes as the premier is facing his own legal troubles, having for the twelfth time this weekend been questioned by police over three separate cases. In so-called Case 1000, Netanyahu is accused of accepting lavish gifts in return for providing favors to wealthy benefactors, whereas in Case 2000 he allegedly sought to trade positive newspaper coverage for benefits to Yediot Ahronot owner Arnon Mozes. In Case 4000, the premier is suspected of orchestrating favorable media coverage for himself from the owner of the Walla news site, Shaul Elovitch, who is the controlling shareholder of the Bezeq communications giant. In return, Netanyahu allegedly helped Bezeq buy the Israeli satellite cable provider Yes while overriding any anti-trust issues. Most analysts predict that Netanyahu will be indicted in at least one of these cases, likely by the beginning of next year.