Nazareth, Israel -Feb 26, 2018
The legal noose has tightened sharply around the neck of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as dramatic developments on two fronts last week have left him more exposed than ever.
He is due to be questioned by police in two new corruption probes before he leaves for the United States on Thursday. The question is no longer whether Netanyahu will be forced out of office, but how soon, analysts say.
According to reports in Israeli media, senior figures in Netanyahu’s Likud party have started calling him “a dead duck”.
Netanyahu’s biggest setback is a major crack in what observers have termed his “black box” – an inner circle of loyal confidants and aides.
Shlomo Filber, his former bureau chief, agreed to turn state evidence last week, providing the key to unlock a new and more serious corruption allegation: that the prime minister blocked regulation of Israel’s telecoms giant, Bezeq, in return for positive coverage of himself and his family from its news website. Police will question him about his role in the coming days.
