Netanyahu said to be negotiating plea deal in corruption trial
TEL AVIV, Israel — Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a plea deal in his corruption case, a person involved in the talks said Sunday.
The deal, which could be signed as early as this week, could usher Netanyahu off the Israeli political stage for years, paving the way for a leadership race in his Likud party and shaking up Israeli politics. Any deal could spare Netanyahu an embarrassing and protracted trial over an issue that has gripped the nation and risks tarnishing his legacy.
Reports of a deal angered critics who said a it would undermine the rule of law.
“The man who worked to destroy the public’s trust in the foundations of democracy for personal reasons is not eligible for deals,” Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz tweeted. He was referring to Netanyahu’s attempts after he was indicted to cast doubt on Israel’s justice system, saying it was biased and pursuing a witch hunt against him.
Demonstrators gathered against the developing deal outside the attorney general’s house Saturday evening. Any deal will likely be challenged in court.
A spokesman for Netanyahu declined to comment.
Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. The former premier, now opposition leader, denies wrongdoing.
The person involved in the negotiations said the plea deal would drop the bribery and fraud charges and scrap one case entirely.
The person asked for anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the details of the talks. He said a plea deal would likely be announced in the coming days.
The person said a number of elements remained unresolved, including the inclusion of the charge of “moral turpitude,” which under Israeli law would ban Netanyahu from politics for seven years. They were also deliberating whether Netanyahu would be forced to do community service under the deal.
Including “moral turpitude” would challenge Netanyahu’s vows to return to lead the country after his 12-year reign was ended last year by a coalition of ideologically disparate parties with little in common other than its opposition to his leadership. But Netanyahu, dubbed a political wizard for his ability to survive repeated attempts at ending his rule, could make a comeback when the ban expires. He would be nearly 80.
Helicopter pilot: The pilot of a medical helicopter that crash-landed without loss of life next to a church in a residential area of suburban Philadelphia last week expressed gratitude to his crew and first responders as he was released from a hospital Sunday.
The pilot, whose name has not been officially released,waswheeledoutof the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center emergency room Sunday morning to applause from police and other first responders and spoke to reporters before being taken home by ambulance with a police escort.
“I’m just feeling fortunate, you know — I had God as my co-pilot that day and we took care of the crew and we landed in his front yard, so that was kind of nice,” he said.
The Eurocopter EC135 medical helicopter owned by Denver-based Air Methods, part of the Lifenet program based in Hagerstown, Maryland, was also transporting an infant girl and two other crew members when it came down at about 1 p.m. Tuesday next to Drexel Hill United Methodist Church in Upper Darby.
The pilot said he didn’t remember “much of anything” about the crash, crediting other crew with rescuing him and getting the young patient to an ambulance.
“I remember waking up and looking up and seeing a whole company of firefighters looking down at me and that’s a real good feeling,” he said, expressing gratitude to first responders and the medical team treating him.
Pacific volcano: New Zealand’s military on Monday morning was able to send a surveillance flight to Tonga to assess the extent of the damage from a huge undersea volcanic eruption.
A towering ash cloud had prevented the military from launching any flights earlier to the Pacific island nation.
People on Tonga described their country as looking like a moonscape as they began the task of cleaning up from the tsunami waves and ash fall caused by the eruption. Communications with the island nation remained limited after the internet was cut soon after the eruption on Saturday evening.
There were no reports of injuries or deaths.
Serbian vote: Serbia held a referendum Sunday on constitutional amendments that the populist government says are needed for the Balkan country to advance in a bid to join the European Union.
The ballot focuses on the changes in the election of judges and prosecutors that authorities say are aimed at boosting their independence in the country where the judiciary is widely seen as corrupt and politically controlled.
About 6.5 million Serbian citizens were eligible to vote in the referendum. A simple majority of those who turn out decide on the outcome. Official results were expected on Monday.
Celebrated Greek painter:
Alekos Fassianos, one of the most important modern Greek painters, died Sunday at his home after a long illness, the state news agency ANA reported. He was 86.
Alekos Fassianos was born Dec. 16, 1935, in Athens.
He studied violin at the Athens Conservatory and painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1955 to 1960.
Fassianos was widely celebrated in Greece and many of his works adorn public spaces, including a mural at an Athens subway station.
In France, he was made a commander of the Order of Arts and Letters and an officer of the Legion of Honor.
He exhibited widely in Europe and Latin America.
Fassianos is survived by his wife, Mariza, and two daughters.
Former Mali president: Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the former president of Mali who took office in a landmark election held after a destabilizing coup only to be ousted in another military takeover nearly seven years later, has died. He was 76.
Keita, known to Malians by his initials IBK, had been in declining health since his forced resignation in August 2020, and had sought medical treatment in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, shortly after his release from junta custody.
The transitional government, which is still led by the man who ousted Keita from power 18 months ago, issued a statement saying that his death Sunday in Bamako followed “a long illness.”
He is survived by his wife, Aminata Maiga Keita, and their four children.