I find it hard to believe that Israelis are seriously discussing how much money Sara Netanyahu “stole” from the government’s coffers by pocketing bottle deposit redemptions. As I understand it, the official residence of the prime minister consumes a lot of bottled drinks, and the deposit money on those bottles may have amounted to as much as a shocking $6,000 over the course of Netanyahu’s latest stint in the office. Yet, the Netanyahus only compensated the state for a paltry $1,000.
On the one hand, this is a story of a mistreated staffer who is suing over the many indignities he suffered while serving the Netanyahu family. Part of that was being forced to haul lots of recyclables around. And he had to turn the redemption money over to Sara, which isn’t how the accounting should have gone. Why was she so concerned about pocketing such an insubstantial amount of money? How does she treat the staff and what does that say about her husband?
On the other hand, we’re talking about, at most, $6,000 over many years. And, I mean, look at this:
Naftali claims that Benjamin Netanyahu was a witness to his wife’s frequent demands that the workers recycle the bottles — “including the bottles of Pellegrino water that he likes to drink” — and that he had to have been aware that the money from the redeemed deposits was being given to her and not to the state, and that the total amount was higher than the $1,000 that were repaid to Itzkovitz. According to Naftali, the guards from the Shin Bet’s VIP protection unit who surrounded the Netanyahus would be able to confirm the truth of his account to the police.
This is the pettiest bullshit, and it reminds me some of the dumbest attacks against the Clintons in the 1990’s. Yes, by all means, let’s have Israel’s equivalent of the Secret Service testify about how much Pellegrino the prime minister likes to drink.
And look at Haaretz:
The behavior of a senior public official’s spouse is usually the personal business of those concerned, and their privacy ought to be respected. But this rule should and even must be violated when the behavior in question affects the functioning of a public servant and reflects problematic norms of behavior, and all the more so when it raises suspicion of criminal activity.
The behavior of the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, with regard to redeeming deposits on recycled bottles – as reported on Thursday by Amir Oren in Haaretz – should not be dismissed as a trifle.
The Prime Minister’s Office admitted that “the Netanyahu family” gave the state a personal check for 4,000 shekels ($1,019) to cover the bottle deposits from 2009 to 2013. If the term “family” includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then that means he, too, was a party to this prima facie crime.
I mean, are you fucking kidding me?
I’ll never understand this. Yes, it’s breaking the law. Apparently. Can’t they find better stuff to drag her into court for? Aren’t most politicians petty assholes?
It’s often the chump change thefts that take down seriously crooked politicians. Not because the petty stuff is seen as important, but because crooks get sloppy about the small stuff and make it easier to suss out.
While not as petty as the Netanyahu’s bottle redemption scandal, the McDonnell’s net (after repayment) known take from the dietary supplement guy was only approximately $15,000. Both properly convicted and will serve time. McDonnell is either one of the cheapest, dumb US politicians or lucked out in only getting caught once.
McDonnell is already out on appeal, and the appeals court will most likely over turn his conviction from what I’ve read. He won’t see a day of jail.
Thanks for the update. At least those two had to suffer the indignities of the trial, and McDonnell’s political career is over. (Nixon made a comeback after his 1962 defeat, but he was then only 49 years old. McDonnell is now 60; too late for him.)
NYTimes New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers
As the proven efficacy of the herbs on the labels is slim to none, the customers were none the wiser that they were buying cheap fillers and assorted cheap weeds (mostly not listed on the labels).
Won’t matter, won’t convince them. I’ve tried telling that to mom for years (since I was a teenager!) and she just refuses to believe it. Because they “help her,” data and evidence are irrelevant.
Meanwhile, she is also an anti-vaxxer and believes there’s a cancer cure because “money”. Luckily my sister and I had already received my shots before these beliefs entered her brain (she still hasn’t gotten HPV vaccine yet, though).
The level of ignorance in these people, you don’t even know where to start. I just leave the room if the conversation starts on these topics. There is no point in discussing it.
And the automobiles that run on water that we can’t have because of “money.”
Sugar pills and snake oil also “work.” The more one pays for the product, the better they work, particularly for the manufacturer and salesmen. As vaccines are relatively inexpensive and available to all, guess it shouldn’t be surprising that those that have a certain level of wealth and income and a mind that values privilege over equality would become suspicious of vaccines.
“Don’t you think the people who actually make a lot of money out of you are the ones who need you to buy a monthly supply of rice pills forever rather than the ones who vaccinate you for life and are done with it, especially when vaccines are relatively cheap, and flu shots are practically free at work or your local pharmacy?”
Nope, that thought NEVER crossed my mind…
Too complicated for the mind of a believer.
Try simpler and more bite sized chunks. For example, which is more nutritious, a bowl of oatmeal (old-fashioned not instant) or a bowl of frosted flakes? Which is cheaper? Then why is the grocery store cereal aisle crammed with highly processed and sugar laden products?
How many of those natural herb pills does it take to get the same nutrition as a stalk of broccoli? A carrot? Broccoli farmers are to food what vaccine makers are to medicine. (This is not a defense of the medical industrial complex that all too often pushes not healthful and harmful medicine and medical treatments. For example, HRT.)
One of the most corrupt political systems in the world of a state build on PR calling itself a democracy and you think it worthy of fp coverage? Hopeless.
○ UN: In 2014, Israel demolished 1,177 Palestinians’ homes in the West Bank
○ Ukrainian Oligarch Fugitives Wanted by Interpol, Pay Bribes for Israeli Citizenship
○ GOP’s Scott Walker: Pitches possible US ground troops in Syria to make us like him
○ Israel destroys water lines feeding Palestinian areas in Jordan Valley
It’s front-page news in Israel in the election coverage.
Can you imagine! If that’s Israel’s main worry, perhaps US Congress can cut some military funding? Sarahgate!
Who is contributing more towards reinforcement of stereotypes about Jews and money, Sara Netanyahu for apparently scamming to state out of a few thousand dollars or the people who you think are making a big deal over a niggling amount of money?
Ok, wait a minute, Boo. You may be applying American-centric standards.
The truth is that I don’t know about Israel in this regard, but in Scandinavia any hint of an elected official taking any extra profit or favor is considered extremely severe. It isn’t the amount – it’s the notion that even small amounts can distort the legislative process against the interests of the people.
Again, I don’t know about Israel. Perhaps they are like the US, where career legislators build up massive fortunes far out of proportion to whatever it is they are being officially paid, and everyone just sort of accepts this as normal. In that case then this is a petty thing. But it shouldn’t BE normal for officials to be able to steal $1k/year without repercussion. It shouldn’t.
I’m with you. The fact that your prime minister and his wife are petty criminals should be news. Maybe not front page blockbuster news, but it shouldn’t be viewed as nothing.
Leave aside federal officials in the US and look at federal employees! Federal employees can’t even accept anything larger than a cumulative of $50 in a calendar year from one person, and the gift must be $20 or less per gift.
And “paying for lunch” counts as a gift.
Apply these rules to the damned pols.
Reminds me of a time a client, Bob and his wife Rose, sent me a holiday gift check for $50. (They were Jewish; so, it wouldn’t have been a Christmas gift.) Bob had been considered a difficult client by others in the office, but given the level of service and expertise that he had the right to expect, he was very easy to worth with. There was no doubt in my mind as to the intent of that check. Particularly touching because Bob was also well known to be tight-fisted with a buck. And he was all to aware of how shabbily I was paid and an extra $50 was meaningful to me; so I briefly agonized over what to do. It was surprisingly simple.
Depositgate.
Nickelback…
I mean if being associated with them doesn’t kill your career…
Fits the personality profile perfectly.
The most racist thing I’ve ever heard is We Are Dog’s “Chosen People”
It’s like submitting a travel reimbursement report which included several taxi fares which were not taken. I’m not saying I ever did this, but I am aware of some who did. It’s pretty small beer (or soda, in some cases).
You go into elections with the scandal you have rather than the scandal you wish you had.
I think the question is if Mrs. N is that systematic and eager to steal the bottle deposit money, what else is she up to?
March 2000:
March 2011:
June 2014
You could literally keep doing this all day, going back to 1997. More or less all Israeli politicians are fairly corrupt, I believe, but Netanyahu is the long-term champion, because the couple never lets a shekel get past them. The bottle thing is important because there are enough witnesses for once that it may actually stick.
Whatever it takes, I say. Netanyahu is a monster. With Bush & Cheney out of office, he’s Public Enemy #1 IMO.