The death of Shimon Peres, Israel’s ninth president and former prime minister and defense minister, has pushed the current corruption scandal out of the public eye. The Ministry of Justice's press release on its decision to press charges against 16 suspects under investigation in the Yisrael Beitenu corruption case called it "one of the biggest ever revealed in Israel." The prosecution expects to soon press additional charges against senior figures in the party, whose founder and leader is Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and State Attorney Shai Nitzan noted that the case is unusual in the complexity and sophistication of the misdeeds as well as the scope of activity and number of people involved. The investigation has found a series of alleged corruption affairs that are apparently linked and organized. Of course, all involved are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
In the worst case scenario, the threads will lead to Liberman and his name would be added to the list of the accused. In a slightly better scenario, it will be determined that Liberman knew the leadership of his party was rotten and turned a blind eye. But even if no criminal charge sticks, the Justice Ministry’s grave announcement throws a shadow on his public status. At best, the man responsible for the safety of Israel’s citizens fell asleep at the wheel. After he failed for years to protect his political home, how can we entrust him with responsibility for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)? Who can guarantee that the man who failed to choose people well suited to lead his party will make good choices about the officers tasked with heading the IDF? Even if there’s no truth at all to the charges and the sharp words of the attorney general, Liberman must vacate his place at the government’s table.
