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| Corrupt Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a court hearing. |
For one thing, you don't pledge allegiance to the state of Israel. You can criticize the brutal, dehumanization, hateful agenda of the Israeli government. You can say that you hate Israel.
You can basically say that you want Israel wiped off the map.
It's not anti-Semitic.
What's anti-Semitic is the brutal attack of 11 innocent lives inside a Pittsburgh synagogue. A man who harbored hatred of the religion went into the Tree of Life Synagogue and opened fire in November 2018.
What's anti-Semitic is a handful of lawmakers also claiming that billionaire activist George Soros is a "puppet master" to the progressive movement. Soros and his family got death threats and a terrorist sent bombs to his home.
Criticizing Israel isn't anti-Semitic.
Having American lawmakers pledge loyalty to Israel and denouncing those who refuse to do so as anti-Semitic is..."drum roll," anti-Semitic.
Yeah, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (known as AIPAC) has been a major influence peddler in Washington. Democrats and Republicans alike take billions from this lobbyist group.
They were incorporated in the influence peddling of denouncement of the Iranian Nuclear Deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was served for corruption. Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as the 9th and current Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, previously holding the position from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also currently a member of the Knesset and the Chairman of the Likud party. He is the first Israeli Prime Minister born in Israel after the establishment of the state.
The Israeli Attorney General announced his intent to file indictments against Netanyahu on bribe and fraud charges in three different cases. Netanyahu would become the first sitting prime minister in Israeli history to be charged with a crime.
NBC News report that Netanyahu dismissed the charges as "fake news."
The prime minister faces one count of bribery and three counts of breach of trust.
"The Attorney General, Avihai Mandelblit, has informed the Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, through his attorney, that he is considering indicting him on several criminal charges," according to a statement by Ministry of Justice spokesman Adi Livni.
Prosecutors would have to go forward with a pre-indictment hearing before Netanyahu is formally charged.
"It should be noted that the decision regarding an indictment is not yet final, since the Attorney General will offer to conduct a pre-indictment hearing before reaching any final decision, according to Israeli law," according to Livni's statement.
With elections just six weeks away, Netanyahu called the prosecution's announcement "outrageous" and an "unprecedented witch hunt" carried out by his liberal opponents.
The prime minister vowed to refute all allegations which he said are "blood libel."
Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases.
Netanyahu claimed his predecessors have received small gifts similar to what he has been accused of taking, but were not charged.
"If it not Bibi — there’s no investigation," Netanyahu said, referring to himself by his nickname.
The most serious allegations against Netanyahu involve his relationship with Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Israel's telecom giant Bezeq.
Police recommended an indictment in the case based on evidence collected that confidants of Netanyahu promoted regulatory changes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Bezeq. In exchange, they believe Netanyahu used his connections with Elovitch to receive positive press coverage on Bezeq's popular subsidiary news site, Walla. Police have said their investigation concluded that Netanyahu and Elovitch engaged in a "bribe-based relationship."
Police also recommended charges be brought against Elovitch, members of his family and members of his Bezeq management team.
Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases. One involves accepting gifts from billionaire friends, and the second revolves around alleged offers of advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in return for favorable coverage.
Netanyahu, 69, who is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister and his fourth overall, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and called the various allegations against him a witch hunt aimed at removing him from office.
The attorney general's decision to publish his conclusions 39 days prior to the general election on April 9 is raising questions about what impact it can have on the outcome of the vote.
Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has forged a close connection, said "[Netanyahu's] done a great job as prime minister" in response to a question in Hanoi, where he was holding a summit with the leader of North Korea.
"He's tough, he's smart, he's strong," Trump said of the Israeli leader, but didn’t comment on the indictment.
Netanyahu rushed back Wednesday from a diplomatic mission to Moscow, and a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, to prepare for his expected rebuttal to the charges on Thursday.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is Netanyahu's former cabinet secretary.
While no stranger to scandal, this was the first time Netanyahu faced the possibility of being formally charged with a crime.
Netanyahu and his family's luxurious lifestyle — often at taxpayers’ expense — has come under scrutiny before. Nearly six years ago, Netanyahu was criticized for reportedly spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin for a five-and-a-half hour flight to London for Margaret Thatcher's funeral. That came just months after the Netanyahu family's taxpayer-funded food budget included $2,700 for artisanal pistachio and French vanilla ice cream.
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