YAIR NETANYAHU QUESTIONED
AS THE police investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s affairs expand, two new potential suspects were added to the growing list — the PM’s son, Yair and, most bizarrely, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen.
Netanyahu junior was questioned by police for five hours on Tuesday. On the same day, the Israeli media revealed Israel’s spy head was also the subject of a police probe.
Both men are being investigated for gifts they allegedly accepted from Australian billionaire and Netanyahu family friend, James Packer. Yair Netanyahu was asked to explain why Mr Packer allowed him to stay in his luxury flats in Tel Aviv and New York, while Mr Cohen allegedly received VIP tickets to a concert of Mariah Carey, Mr Packer’s former girlfriend, and hospitality in a luxury hotel suite. The Australian billionaire, who owns a seaside villa in Caesarea, near Mr Netanyahu’s weekend home, is also connected to the other investigation into Mr Netanyahu’s affairs. He was mentioned in the recorded conversations between the Prime Minister and the publisher of Israeli tabloid newspaper Yediot Ahronot, Arnon Mozes. Police are enquiring whether the secret meetings between the two, in which Mr Netanyahu appears to have discussed the possibility of receiving favourable coverage from the usually hostile Yediot, could constitute a bribe offer. According to the tapes, Mr Moz- es, who was questioned at length on Monday for the fifth time, offered to change his paper’s policy on Mr Netanyahu, including the hiring of proBibi journalists. In return, the Prime Minister proposed limiting the publication of the freesheet Israel Hayom, owned by his supporter, Sheldon Adelson. He also offered to help Mr Mozes by finding a foreign investor for his media group. Among the names he mentioned as potential investors were James Packer, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and the CEO of German media group Axel Springer, Mathias Dopfner.
Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu received backing from a political rival — Education Minister Naftali Bennett.
On Sunday, Mr Netanyahu responded for the first time to the allegations in a Facebook post. He branded the investigations against him “an unprecedented media-orchestrated campaign to topple the Likud government headed by me”. He claimed that he had strenuously opposed the Israel
Hayom law, which would have forced the freesheet to charge readers money.