“She’s Toast” prediction attacked with private polygraph results
[Jerusalem] Officially, Israel has no first lady. But if you stopped any Israeli on the street and asked, “Who is the first lady of Israel?” the answer would be unanimous: Sara Netanyahu. It is now widely believed that “first lady” is likely to be indicted on a series of corruption charges including misuse of public funds.
“She’s toast,” Gil Hoffman, the political correspondent for The Jerusalem Post told The Media Line. “The decision at this point isn’t whether to indict her. It’s which charges to indict her on.”
Israel’s Channel Two television announced over the weekend that the Attorney General will decide within ten days whether to indict Sara Netanyahu, and that he is leaning towards doing so. Seemingly in response, Sara Netanyahu released the results of a polygraph test from a private company that reportedly showed she had been telling the truth in at least one case against her concerning the alleged misuse of state funds for food and hosting events.
But polygraphs are not admissible in Israeli courts, and their accuracy is disputed. It is also not clear if the test addressed other allegations against the prime minister’s wife. For his part, Netanyahu has vehemently defended his wife against all charges, accusing the media of conducting a “witch-hunt.”
It is accurate to say that Sara Netanyahu is not popular among Israelis, many of whom see her as being controlling and cold. Last year, police recommended indicting her on charges of fraud and breach of trust related to using public funds to buy food and hire special chefs. The allegations also say that she transferred furniture paid for with public funds to the Netanyahu’s private residence in the upscale Mediterranean community of Caesarea.
The likely indictment of Sara Netanyahu comes as the prime minister himself is facing a series of no less than four corruption cases. In one case regarding irregularities relative to the purchase of submarines from Germany for Israel’s navy, police have just revealed that six parties of interest have been detained for questioning. Media reports claim that among those detained was a former senior official in Netanyahu’s office, as well as former navy commander Eliezer Marom.
In the submarine case, Netanyahu is not personally suspected of any wrongdoing. But his cousin and close associate David Shimron reportedly stood to gain ten million dollars in commissions if Israel bought the submarines from Germany.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is, however, directly involved in the other cases. One, which police are calling “Case 1000,” concerns claims he and his wife improperly accepted lavish gifts, including tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from wealthy supporters, including Australian billionaire James Packer and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.
The second investigation, “Case 2000,” concerns Netanyahu’s alleged attempts to strike a deal with his media nemesis Arnon Mozes, publisher of the Yediot Ahronoth newspaper group. According to the deal under investigation, Netanyahu would promote legislation to weaken Yediot’s main competitor, Yisrael Hayom, in exchange for more favorable coverage of Netanyahu by Yediot in the run-up to the last election. Yisrael Hayom is a free newspaper created and funded by US casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a longtime Netanyahu supporter.
Israelis are speculating on the effect an indictment against Sara Netanyahu might have on Netanyahu’s political fortunes. “This could be the beginning of what can bring Netanyahu down,” Gil Hoffman said. “She is the driving force behind everything.”
But others say that Netanyahu, who will surpass David Ben Gurion’s record as Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister in July 2019 if he is able to remain in power until then, may be able to keep his job even if his wife is indicted.
“It fits well into modern politics of these days which are highly personalized and has to do with things that are not directly connected to politics,” Gideon Rahat, a senior associate at the Israel Democracy Institute told The Media Line. Rahat said that Netanyahu could say that he did not know of his wife’s actions and that he had nothing to do with it.
“It all depends on his relationship with his wife,” Rahat said with a laugh. “Will he support her or not?”
Sara Netanyahu has complained that she has been vilified by the Israeli press, which has accused her of being involved in political appointments and playing favorites. Earlier this year, the National Labor Court awarded former handyman and caretaker Menny Naftali more than $43,000 in compensation for years of mistreatment he suffered while working at the Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem.
Israeli analysts say that if the Attorney General does decide to indict his wife, Netanyahu may also come under pressure to resign. Netanyahu’s predecessor Ehud Olmert, was forced to resign after charges of corruption and has petitioned for a December release from the 19-month sentence he has been serving.
It is widely believed in that following the Olmert case, it is well settled that a sitting prime minister must step aside if an actual indictment is issued against him/her.
“There have been so many cases of corruption and alleged corruption that the Israeli public has become desensitized,” Guy Ben Porat, a professor of public policy at Ben Gurion University told The Media Line. “If this becomes an indictment, then it’s a whole different ballgame and it takes things into the legal sphere.”