Netanyahu corruption case files leaked

Middle Eastern Monitor

Evidence pertaining to one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption cases has been leaked to the media, appearing to show his quid pro quo deal with a newspaper tycoon in return for favourable media coverage.

Published by Israel’s Channel 12 last night, the leak included a transcript of a conversation between Netanyahu and the publisher of popular Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, which lies at the centre of what has become known as Case 2000. In the case, Netanyahu allegedly offered to pass legislation that would impede the activities of Mozes’ rival newspaper, Israel Hayom, in return for more favourable media coverage of the prime minister and his policies.

Israel Police also suspect that, in return for curbing Israel Hayom, Mozes offered to hire journalists recommended by Netanyahu to undermine his rival politicians.

In the leaked conversation, “Mozes can reportedly be heard admitting [to] slanting coverage against Netanyahu’s election rivals and ‘hiding’ negative articles about the premier’s wife [Sara], while urging the prime minister to file a libel lawsuit and figuratively ‘kill’ a Yedioth writer who is a fierce Netanyahu critic,” the Times of Israel (ToI) reported, citing the Channel 12 broadcast.

The TV channel said that in a recording from December 2014 — ahead of Israel’s 2015 election — “Netanyahu can be heard complaining to Mozes that [election rivals Yair] Lapid and [Naftali] Bennett were being handled with kids’ gloves in Yedioth and [its associated online publication] Ynet”.

ToI adds that the pair “also discussed Netanyahu’s desire to ensure that Bennett win ‘under 15’ seats in the election,” adding that his Jewish Home party “eventually won eight [seats], but was projected at the time for as much as 17,” suggesting the policy was successful.

Read more

Israeli PM Netanyahu to be indicted in corruption cases, pending hearing – Justice Ministry

Comment: Couldn't have happened to a person more deserving of prosecution. These are fairly mild crimes compared to his real history

--------------------

RT 

Israel’s Attorney General has indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in several corruption cases. The charges include bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and the PM will be given the chance to appeal before they are filed.

Netanuyahu is currently seeking a fourth consecutive term as PM, and denies any wrongdoing. His party, Likud, has called the charges “Political persecution.” Netanyahu himself dismissed the cases against him as a "witch hunt" and told reporters that he intends to stay on as PM "for many more years."

 With Israelis set to cast their votes in April, the indictment comes at a crucial time for Netanyahu. Before the charges were announced on Thursday, Israel’s High Court of Justice rejected a petition by Likud to block the announcement. The party’s legal adviser, Avi Halevy, called Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s public revelation of the charges “unprecedented interference” in the upcoming election 

Read more

‘Bibi go home!’ Israelis demand Netanyahu resignation over looming corruption charges (VIDEO)

Comment: Yet more things going wrong for the Zionist Elite...

---------------------

Israel MPs push forward with bill to create 'Jewish state'

Middle East Eye

Israel’s parliament gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill defining the country as the “national home of the Jewish people” which downgrades Arabic from official language status.

The bill, supported by 48 against 41 of the Knesset’s 120 members, seeks to “defend (Israel’s) status as a Jewish and democratic state”, said Avi Dichter, the bill’s sponsor, of the ruling Likud party.

On Sunday, ministers gave the bill the initial green light.

It needs to be debated by a parliamentary committee and voted on three more times in the plenum before it becomes part of the country’s so-called “basic laws”, which are similar to a constitution.

It would give special status to the “Jewish and democratic” nature of Israel, to the Jewish calendar and to Hebrew as Israel’s official language.

The bill’s explanatory notes said such legislation was “especially crucial in times like these, when there are those who seek to undermine the Jewish people’s right to a national home in its land”.

About a fifth of Israel’s population are Palestinian descendants of those who remained after the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, and the creation of Israel in 1948.

Read more

The Last Days of Obama: Napoleonic Maneuvers at the Security Council

Caleb Maupin
New Eastern Outlook

It seemed to come almost out of nowhere. The United States usually protects Israel from critical resolutions at the UN Security Council. However, in a dramatic move, the US abstained and a resolution criticizing recent settlement activity was passed by the 15-member body.

But this was not the end. John Kerry, Obama’s former Secretary of State, gave a lengthy address a few days later. Kerry’s speech was not so different from the statements of previous leaders, both Democrats and Republicans. He defended Israel’s existence, and denounced almost all forces actively opposing Israel.

However, Kerry harshly criticized specific Israeli policies. While Kerry’s speech defending the UN abstention uttered the standard, mildly critical, pro-Israeli talking points, it did contain some words that, taken out of context and spread throughout the internet, could and did indeed make a lot of Israelis and Zionists very angry. The most quoted one was:

“If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both.”

Kerry was alluding to the fact that if Palestinians are absorbed into Israel in a “one state solution” but Israel remains a “Jewish State” this will not be democratic. According to Kerry, under such circumstances Palestinians would be second class citizens, i.e. non-Jews in a Jewish state.

Immediately, Kerry’s speech was decried by Israelis. Netanyahu fired back, as did the entire pro-Israeli blogosphere. The Republican and Likud Party aligned voices escalated the shrill accusations that Obama was a secret Muslim, a member of the Muslim brotherhood, a terrorist sympathizer, a Neo-Nazi, a Communist, and everything else he has been called for 8 years straight.

Meanwhile, Israel did not stop its settlement activity, and was not really affected at all by the resolution. The billions of dollars in US aid to Israel continued. Obama has left the office on January 20th, and is now replaced by Donald Trump, who claims to be more pro-Israel than Obama. The UN Security Council is not taking any specific action to halt the settlement activities condemned in its resolution.

Nothing really changed, but a lot of dramatic, heated words were exchanged between the USA and its closest Middle Eastern ally. Why did this happen?

Read more

'Elite' coup is being orchestrated against president-elect Trump

Bernhard
Moon of Alabama

• There is an "elite" coup attempt underway against the U.S. President-elect Trump.
• The coup is orchestrated by the camp of Hillary Clinton in association with the CIA and neoconservative powers in Congress.
• The plan is to use the CIA's "Russia made Trump the winner" nonsense to swing the electoral college against him. The case would then be bumped up to Congress. Major neocon and warmonger parts of the Republicans could then move the presidency to Clinton or, if that fails, put Trump's vice president-elect Mike Pence onto the throne. The regular bipartisan war business, which a Trump presidency threatens to interrupt, could continue.
• Should the coup succeed violent insurrections in the United States are likely to ensue with unpredictable consequences.

The above theses are thus far only a general outline. No general plan has been published. The scheme though is pretty obvious by now.

The priority aim is to deny Trump the presidency. He is too independent and a danger for several power centers within the ruling U.S. power circles. These are:

• The CIA which has become the Central Assassination Agency under the Bush and Obama administrations. Huge parts of its budgets depend on a continuation of the war on Syria and the drone assassination campaigns in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere. Trump's more isolationist policies would likely end these campaigns and the related budget troughs.
• The weapons industry which could lose its enormous sales to its major customers in the Persian Gulf should a President Trump reduce U.S. interference in the Middle East and elsewhere.
• The neoconservatives and Likudniks who want the U.S. as Israel's weapon to strong arm the Middle East to the Zionists' benefit.
• The general war hawks, military and "humanitarian interventionists" to whom any reduction of the U.S. role as primary power in the world is anathema to their believes.

The current CIA director Brennan, a leading figure of the CIA torture program and Obama consigliere, is in the Clinton/anti-Trump camp. The former CIA heads Hayden and Panetta are public Clinton supporters as is torturer king and former CIA deputy director Michael Morell.

Read more

Meet the three American families bank-rolling Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu

The Independent 

More than 90 per cent of the recent campaign contributions collected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came from the US, official records show. In previous campaigns, around half of his campaign funding has come from just three American families. 

Mr Netanyahu last week easily won his Likud Party’s election to select a prime ministerial candidate – easily overcoming his nearest challenger, former deputy defence minister Danny Danon. The 65-year-old Mr Netanyahu is now gearing up for the general election, due to be held on March 17.

Records from Israel’s State Comptroller Office and collated by Buzzfeed.com show that Mr Netanyahu raised around 1m shekels (roughly £166,000), for his primary campaign. Around 90 per cent of this came from the US.

Public records show this fits with previous elections campaigns. In the past, almost half of his funding has come from three American families – the Falic family of Florida which owns the Duty Free Americas airport shops, the Schottenstein family, owners of the American Eagle Outfitters fashion chain, and the Book family of New Jersey, owners of Jet Support Systems. 

Read more