• The corruption case against Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, continued on December 4, where Netanyahu is being investigated for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
• PM Netanyahu is facing increasing criticism by his own civilians and party, but still maintains international support.
The genocide in Palestine continues, where hundreds have been killed in the last twenty-four hours.
The US President and UK Prime Minister have stood strongly behind Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. However, these countries have not commented or reported on the renewal of Netanyahu’s corruption case and his extreme far-right government policies.
On December 4, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister’s corruption court case continued. The trial was paused on an emergency order from the country’s justice system since Israel started its bombardment of Palestine.
There are three cases against PM Netanyahu:
1. Case 1000: Netanyahu is being investigated for fraud and breach of trust. Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit alleged that Mr. Netanyahu and his wife received various goods from businessmen, the value of which was approximately £162,000.
2. Case 2000: Netanyahu’s second case against him is also fraud and a breach of trust. Mr. Netanyahu allegedly negotiated to obtain favourable media coverage in the Yedioth Aronoth Media group in exchange for curtailing its competitor, Israel Hayom Newspaper.
3. Case 4000: Netanyahu is further facing charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, also known as the Bezeq bribery case. There has been a reciprocal arrangement between Mr. Netanyahu and Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Israel’s Bezeq telecom giant, to exchange regulatory favours for positive coverage on a news site owned by the firm.
There are 50 more witnesses that are still lined up to testify in the trial, which has been ongoing for four years. This corruption case illustrates Netanyahu’s lack of morals, deceitfulness and honesty.
In previous years, Netanyahu has been dubbed “the magician” by the media because of his ability to circumvent difficult political situations. His success owes that to creating an image as the unique person who is best suited to keep Israel safe from hostile forces.
Netanyahu has always maintained hostility toward Palestinians. When PM Netanyahu won an election for the sixth time, his hard-right religious coalition government maintained that they were determined to annex all the Palestinian territories and overhaul the judiciary.
Since the start of the recent coalition, their intention has been clear, with a declaration that Jewish people have a “natural right” to the land of Israel.
Reporters should question what really happened on October 7th to start the genocide, and no one should trust the rhetoric coming from Israel’s alleged corrupt leader.
The ‘supposed’ failed security system on October 7th has meant Netanyahu’s popularity in Israel is at an all-time low in the polls. While maintaining international support, Netanyahu has received calls from his own party to step down.
Why are western allies not confronting him about his far-right policies? Why are the BBC, CNN, and Fox News not focused on a corrupt leader who is ethnically cleansing generations of Palestinians?
In 2018, BBC News stated, “Despite the deep suspicion that Mr. Netanyahu does not possess a moral compass, he is seen as the guarantor of security in a time of trauma in the Arab World.” This statement holds even truer today: Netanyahu has no moral compass, but western allies rely on him to maintain their interest in the Middle East.
Even if Netanyahu steps down as Prime Minister, it is unlikely Israel’s stance on Palestine will change. However, something will need to change as public opinion around the world declines and the death toll in Gaza dramatically rises.
