SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference at the Washington Convention Center March 6, 2018 in Washington, DC. With thousands of delegates and attendees, the annual AIPAC conference is the the largest gathering of the pro-Israel movement in the United States. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Netanyahu Faces Another Possible Indictment for Bribe to Get Glowing Media Coverage
Police say Israeli prime minister "intervened in a blatant and ongoing manner" in coverage at a news website
Dec 01, 2018
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing calls to resign after Israeli police on Sunday recommended indicting him and his wife on fraud and bribery charges.
It's the third such recommendation to hit the prime minister this year.
The New York Timeslays out the alleged wrongdoing:
Between 2012 and 2017, the police said, Mr. Netanyahu "intervened in a blatant and ongoing manner, and sometimes even daily," in coverage at Walla, a news website owned by [telecommunications company] Bezeq, ensuring "flattering articles and pictures" were published and "removing critical content" about him and his family.
The police said Mr. Netanyahu and his associates sought to sway Walla's hiring of senior editors and reporters. In return, the police said, Mr. Netanyahu, who personally oversaw the communications ministry from 2014 to 2017, rewarded Bezeq with enormously lucrative concessions, including approval of its merger with Yes, a satellite television company, despite the objections of lower-level ministry officials.
It's up to the attorney general whether to indict.
The other two corruption scandals involve bribery as well. In one, "Netanyahu is suspected of receiving gifts worth at least a million shekels ($270,000; PS210,000) from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and other supporters," the BBC reports. The other also involves bribing a newspaper, this time Yediot Aharonot, for positive coverage.
The new case, however, "is the most serious of all those of which Netanyahu has been accused," the Associated Press reports:
Two of his top confidants have turned state witnesses and are believed to have provided police with incriminating evidence. Netanyahu held the government's communications portfolio until last year and oversaw regulation in the field. Former journalists at the Walla news site have attested to being pressured to refrain from negative reporting of Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, for his part, denies wrongdoing.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing calls to resign after Israeli police on Sunday recommended indicting him and his wife on fraud and bribery charges.
It's the third such recommendation to hit the prime minister this year.
The New York Timeslays out the alleged wrongdoing:
Between 2012 and 2017, the police said, Mr. Netanyahu "intervened in a blatant and ongoing manner, and sometimes even daily," in coverage at Walla, a news website owned by [telecommunications company] Bezeq, ensuring "flattering articles and pictures" were published and "removing critical content" about him and his family.
The police said Mr. Netanyahu and his associates sought to sway Walla's hiring of senior editors and reporters. In return, the police said, Mr. Netanyahu, who personally oversaw the communications ministry from 2014 to 2017, rewarded Bezeq with enormously lucrative concessions, including approval of its merger with Yes, a satellite television company, despite the objections of lower-level ministry officials.
It's up to the attorney general whether to indict.
The other two corruption scandals involve bribery as well. In one, "Netanyahu is suspected of receiving gifts worth at least a million shekels ($270,000; PS210,000) from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and other supporters," the BBC reports. The other also involves bribing a newspaper, this time Yediot Aharonot, for positive coverage.
The new case, however, "is the most serious of all those of which Netanyahu has been accused," the Associated Press reports:
Two of his top confidants have turned state witnesses and are believed to have provided police with incriminating evidence. Netanyahu held the government's communications portfolio until last year and oversaw regulation in the field. Former journalists at the Walla news site have attested to being pressured to refrain from negative reporting of Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, for his part, denies wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing calls to resign after Israeli police on Sunday recommended indicting him and his wife on fraud and bribery charges.
It's the third such recommendation to hit the prime minister this year.
The New York Timeslays out the alleged wrongdoing:
Between 2012 and 2017, the police said, Mr. Netanyahu "intervened in a blatant and ongoing manner, and sometimes even daily," in coverage at Walla, a news website owned by [telecommunications company] Bezeq, ensuring "flattering articles and pictures" were published and "removing critical content" about him and his family.
The police said Mr. Netanyahu and his associates sought to sway Walla's hiring of senior editors and reporters. In return, the police said, Mr. Netanyahu, who personally oversaw the communications ministry from 2014 to 2017, rewarded Bezeq with enormously lucrative concessions, including approval of its merger with Yes, a satellite television company, despite the objections of lower-level ministry officials.
It's up to the attorney general whether to indict.
The other two corruption scandals involve bribery as well. In one, "Netanyahu is suspected of receiving gifts worth at least a million shekels ($270,000; PS210,000) from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and other supporters," the BBC reports. The other also involves bribing a newspaper, this time Yediot Aharonot, for positive coverage.
The new case, however, "is the most serious of all those of which Netanyahu has been accused," the Associated Press reports:
Two of his top confidants have turned state witnesses and are believed to have provided police with incriminating evidence. Netanyahu held the government's communications portfolio until last year and oversaw regulation in the field. Former journalists at the Walla news site have attested to being pressured to refrain from negative reporting of Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, for his part, denies wrongdoing.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.