Understanding the Charges Clouding Netanyahu’s Future

He’s been called “the magician” for his ability to survive political difficulties, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never faced a test like this one. Netanyahu appeared in court for a second time on Feb. 8 to respond to charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, just weeks before the public decides whether to let him continue as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

Netanyahu, 71, is accused of taking about 1 million shekels ($304,000) worth of items such as cigars and champagne from wealthy friends including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian businessman James Packer. In exchange, Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit said, Netanyahu sought to advance Milchan’s interests in fields including telecommunications and tax law, and by helping with his U.S. visa. In a second case, Netanyahu is accused of discussing with the owner of Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper a deal to undermine Israel Hayom, a free daily, in exchange for sympathetic coverage. In a third case, which legal experts consider the gravest, Netanyahu is suspected of advancing the business interests of his friend Shaul Elovitch, at the time the controlling shareholder of Bezeq Israeli Telecommunications Corporation Ltd., the country’s largest telecommunications company, in exchange for favorable coverage on a Bezeq-owned news site.