Statement issued after negotiations on deal in graft cases said to collapse, with Mandelblit notifying ex-PM’s lawyers that talks will have to wait for next AG
By TOI STAFF 24 January 2022, 9:21 pm
Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues a video statement on the corruption cases against him, January 24, 2022.
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu publicly declared Monday that he has not agreed to acknowledge “moral turpitude” as part of a potential plea bargain that would end his corruption trial, and said he had no intention of leaving politics.
He issued the video statement, his first public reference to two weeks of reports on behind-the-scenes negotiations on a possible deal, in an apparent response to the collapse of the talks with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
The former prime minister vowed to remain the leader of his Likud party and of the right-wing political camp, and to eventually return to power and lead the country.
Soon after the video was posted to his social media accounts, a spate of Hebrew media reports said Mandelblit, whose term ends in a week, had earlier in the day informed Netanyahu’s attorneys that negotiations on a deal would have to wait until a new attorney general takes office.
Channel 13 claimed, without citing sources, that Netanyahu recorded the video last week and decided to publish it after Mandelblit informed his lawyers that negotiations would not be completed during his term. Sources familiar with the talks told the network that Netanyahu had in fact agreed to a moral turpitude plea, but then stepped back after Mandelblit’s notification.
“In recent days, there were mistaken claims made in the media on things that I allegedly agreed to, such as the claim that I agreed to moral turpitude,” Netanyahu said. “That is simply not correct.”
“I will continue to lead the Likud and the national camp in order to lead Israel, on your behalf,” he promised.
Netanyahu also thanked his “millions” of supporters and reiterated his accusation that he is being mistreated by law enforcement officials and the justice system, declaring that “the entire public can see what is happening in the courthouse and how the investigation against me was handled.”
He insisted that the proper course of action was to simply close the cases against him, “but that still hasn’t happened.”
Netanyahu had reportedly been hoping to seal a deal with Mandelblit, believing that the latter — a Netanyahu appointee — wanted to end his six-year term with a clean slate. However, media reports have increasingly indicated that the talks were proceeding too slowly, and the mistrust between the sides was too great, for a deal to be finalized before Mandelblit retires.
Since reports of the negotiations emerged earlier this month, they generally said Mandelblit was demanding that any plea deal with Netanyahu include a clause of “moral turpitude” — which would bar Netanyahu from public office for seven years. Some reports said that a period of just two years was also discussed in the plea bargain, and that Mandelblit backtracked after agreeing to this. In addition, the reports said that other charges would be significantly lowered in two of the cases against the former premier, and dismissed in the third.
The requirement for moral turpitude was underlined last Thursday by Deputy State Attorney Shlomo Lamberger, who made the first public remarks by a senior justice official on the offer, telling a conference held by the Israel Bar Association that it would be “inconceivable” for a plea deal not to include such a clause.
Both the Channel 12 and Channel 13 news stations assessed that Netanyahu’s relatively mild rhetoric in Monday’s video statement still leaves an opening for him to continue plea negotiations in the future.
Netanyahu was reported last week to be prepared to agree to moral turpitude but not as an opening commitment, in part because of his mistrust of Mandelblit and concern that a deal would fall apart.
Reacting to the developments, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told Channel 13 later Monday evening that Netanyahu’s video was “proof” of the need to pass a law he previously initiated as head of the opposition, which would bar anyone convicted of moral turpitude from serving as prime minister, minister, Knesset member or mayor.
Lapid said he suggested that law “precisely to prevent these kinds of phenomena. We must let the judicial process take its course.”
While refusing to say whether he supports a plea deal for Netanyahu, Lapid said the opposition chief “is damaging the political system and the State of Israel. He causes more rifts and divisions than anybody else. The most important thing for us [in the coalition] is to enable some kind of unity among the people of Israel. You can’t do that when someone keeps adding fuel to the fire. He causes damage.”
The message Mandelblit reportedly sent to Netanyahu’s legal team on Monday marked an acknowledgment by the attorney general that he would not personally be able to see out the biggest case of his tenure.
Netanyahu, 72, is on trial in three separate graft cases: for fraud and breach of trust in Case 1000 and in Case 2000, and for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in Case 4000.
Under the reported potential deal, the bribery charge in Case 4000 would have been dropped, and Case 2000 closed altogether. Mandelblit was said to have demanded that Netanyahu admit to fraud and breach of trust in cases 1000 and 4000; accept the designation of moral turpitude; be sentenced to seven to nine months of community service; and admit to having instructed former Communications Ministry director Shlomo Filber to provide benefits to the controlling shareholder of the Bezeq media company, Shaul Elovitch — the main accusation against the former premier in case 4000.
Netanyahu denies all allegations against him, and claims the charges were fabricated by a biased police force and state prosecution service, overseen by a weak attorney general, in league with political opponents and the leftist media.
“Moral turpitude” applies to the MSM!
Just like in the US! They as well as their owners are complicit in crimes against humanity!
As far as Bibi, a trial may be the only solution!
Netanyahu is calling for more COVID restrictions:
@BEAR-
It just occurred to me that you might have meant to try “withOUT” throwing in a ….etc.etc. You make those errors of syntax often enough to have been noticed. You seem never to read over your posts before pressing “Post Comment”
If I am correct as above, then I my offer is in the negative…..I’m sure (?) you’ll understand.
References to putative “anonymous sources,” with their crummy record of reliability remind me of David Steinberg’s routine about “The Coast” in this short 3 subject monologue from the Watergate era.
https://youtu.be/H9EVEM3_5Rs
@ BEAR-
I’ll try……just for you.
@Ted Belman
We can only guess since we’ll never know all that is going on there.
It could be mistrust or not getting the deal he wants or his family might be making these decisions for him.
I personally tend to think that he doesn’t care who or what he ruins at this point on his way to the gaol, so to speak, meaning, he actually went off the rails a couple of years ago.
The sad part, in this case, would be that his party with almost no exceptions follows his orders blindly and willingly compounding the destruction and division.
The only issue is whether Bibi can do better in his defense by finishing the trials then by accepting the deal offered but now withdrawn.. It would be a miracle if he were to be acquitted.
It appears that his days as the PM are over.. Why is he hanging on. Probably to get the deal he wants with the next AG.
@Edgar try and making a comment with throwing in an insult or a personal attack. Try just arguing points. I will leave this point here to be constructive.
Thanks for your future efforts.
@ BEAR-
It seems you are a little more than normally “mixed up”. Why should the PM go through all the torture of thr past few corrupt and contemptible years, because he committed imaginary crimes, so that he could “keep up with the big boys” as you so beautifully and articulately put it…
According to you, I mean to your “views”, all he had to do was admit to crimes he did not commit, serve a few meals to a food line, and make
multi-millions on the speaking circuits.
These are the same millions that he has never made as PM and struggles to avoid making, by still remaining the Likud Leader.
I know money is fungible, but maybe the Speaking millions smell better than the Political millions…… In your view…. Olfactory Justice…!!
@Peloni, my view is that Bibi did unethical things trying to keep up with the uber wealthy. Then he also engaged in getting what amounted to obtaining free advertising on Wala for his benefit and fixed regulations to the benefit of Wala’s owners at Bezeq. I know the defense is saying the system was out to get him but he is not innocent in my view.
The Wala case is the only one that bothers me. He did wrong or unethical things in the other cases but personally I do not care there. Fixing regulations to get a benefit is a clear quid quo pro. I have heard the counter arguments and I do not buy them.
“In Case 4000, the most serious against the former premier, he is alleged to have worked to illicitly and lucratively benefit the business interests of controlling shareholder of the Bezeq media company Shaul Elovitch in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla news site owned by Elovitch”
I hope he gets all the justice he deserves.
No one can argue against that.
I think it was important that Bibi did not take this deal. Reinforcing corrupt practices and the use of Lawfare to manipulate public officials should not be supported by the victims of such corrupt practices. If Bibi is to fall from the leadership of Likud, he should do so under his own choice or the choice of his own party. Legal maneuvers to unseat such a strong leader would not demonstrate his replacement’s ability to do anything more than fill a vacuum, which would be a small test of their mettle to support their ability towards a national victory. The future leader of Likud should be capable of gaining the leadership position without the need of legal maneuvers to remove Bibi as an obstacle of their path forward.
In calling for a successful conclusion to the Lawfare efforts to unseat Bibi, it should also be good for us all to recognize that the ice cream receipts of any future political leader might shortly afterwards be used to manipulate either their subsequent control or their premature removal from office.
Too bad, no practicality or wisdom shown by Bibi here.
He had a great long run as Prime Minister. That time has ended! Why risk going to prison. Instead negotiate the deal that will keep you out of prison. Allow you to make lots of money legally on the speech circuit or as an advisor to large companies. Go on lots of luxury vacations with the family.
Allow Israel to move on to new leadership in the Likud that will lead a strong right-wing government and not this compromise coalition.