Netanyahu’s son under fire after ‘ strip club’ tape
Jerusalem, Jan. 9: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son has been caught on tape seemingly drunk and boasting that his father helped push through a $ 20bn deal to the benefit of a gas tycoon outside a strip club, leading to political fallout on Tuesday. Benjamin Netanayhu’s lawyers tried, unsucessfully, to stop the broadcast of the embarrassing audiotape by Israel’s Channel 2 television. In the recording, Yair Netanyahu, 26, can be heard speaking with the son of Kobi Maimon, a stakeholder in a company that owns a share in Israel’s offshore Tamar gas field. Their conversation includes talk of strippers and prostitutes.
“My dad arranged $ 20 billion for your dad — you can give me 400 shekels ($ 116),” he says.
Yair Netanyahu issued a statement apologising and saying he was only joking about the gas deal while “under the influence of alcohol”.
“These statements do not represent who I am nor the values on which I was raised,” he said.
The audio recording of Yair Netanyahu, who has been the subject of controversy in the past, has led to further criticism of his father’s handling of Israel’s natural gas industry at a time when he already faces two unrelated graft investigations. Labour party leader Avi Gabbay said the recording was a “new stain on the corrupt gas deal”.