Bibi the crook(28/10/99 Review & Outlook - The Wall Street Journal Europe)Not only is Benjamin Netanyahu a bad man opposed to peace with the Arabs, he is also, it seems, a criminal. Or at least that is the impression one might getfrom much of the media coverage of last week's "corruption" allegations against the former Israeli prime minister. Largely ignored was the subsequent reaction in Israel. Prominent figures across the political spectrum, including State Attorney Edna Arbel, have joined in condemning the bullying manner of the police investigation, and some have suggested that its motivations may have been largely political. Last week, acting on information from a mover (who confessed to trying to defraud the prime minister's office), Israeli police searched Mr. Netanyahu's home and government office, as well as a government warehouse containing items from his time as prime minister. They were seeking presents he received during his term (for example, a gold letter opener from US Vice President Al Gore), and which he and his wife Sara are suspected of intending to keep in violation of Israel civil service regulations. The searches seems to surprise the Netanyahu's but obviously didn't surprise TV reporters, who showed up en masse to film the intrusion. Images of an abashed Bibi Netanyahu were soon on TV screens worldwide, most particularly in New York, where some of his harshest critics reside. The media presence suggested that the police, or whoever notified the press of the impending raid, thought that a public indictment of the former prime minister was in order before any real evidence of wrongdoing was produced. Even if the Netanyahu's eventually succeed in providing their stated innocence, a certain taint of corruption will remain attached to their name. If this were an isolated incident, one might well believe the police's protestations of innocence concerning the press leaks. But it was not the first time the police had launched high profile investigations of right-wing political figures in Israel. More often than not, these probes have been eventually abandoned for lack of evidence. Victims of go-nowhere investigations have included Mr. Netanyahu's foreign minister, Ariel Sharon, and former director general of the prime minister office, Avigdor Lieberman. Mr. Netanyahu's first justice minister, Jacob Ne'eman, was forced to resign by an indictment. After an acquittal- in which the court went so far as to criticize prosecutors for the weakness of the case they presented against him - he returned to the government as the financial minister. If such a political bias exists in Israel justice system, what might account for it? One possibility suggests itself. Israel has been governed for most of its existence by the Labor Party, and most of governmental institutions are dominated by leftists. These incumbents feel threatened by anyone who suggests, as Mr. Netanyahu has, that the pervasive power and influence of the Israeli state should be curtailed. The publicly available information makes the case against the Netanyahus look particularly sketchy. All the items taken last week by the police, says Netanyahu's lawyer David Shimron, came from boxes in Mr. Netanyahu's official office and a government warehouse. In effect, the family seems not to have finished unpacking after their recent move. More to the point, Mr. Shimron says he delivered a letter to the current prime minister's office weeks before the searches explaining that there was government property in such boxes, and asking for help in sorting them all out. The question that naturally arises, therefore, why the police didn't first try more accommodating approach - say, asking for items they were concerned about - before seeking search warrants. Keeping such property is not even a felony. It is punishable only by fine. It may be that the Netanyahus are guilty of some violation of civil service rules. But the highly publicized police raid of a prominent Israeli can hardly enhance Israel's reputation, at least among people who care about such things, as a country ruled by laws that require proof of guilt before a reputation is smeared. |
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