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Netanyahu's scandals run deep

The many scandals directly or indirectly involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, coupled with media criticism over his handling of the Temple Mount crisis, are seriously destabilizing his administration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint declaration with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RTX3BO02
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For the last four days, an expanded team of elite police investigators have been sitting with Israeli businessman Miki Ganor collecting detailed testimony from him. Ganor represented German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp in the submarine purchase deal signed with Israel. This lengthy interrogation is expected to uncover an enormous iceberg of corruption in the state's military acquisitions program over the past few years. Meanwhile, quite a few senior officials in Israel have lost sleep over this. The state witness agreement signed with Ganor on July 21 could incriminate a huge group of top-ranking officials in the security establishment and maybe even reach the political leadership.

As a representative for Thyssenkrupp, Ganor was behind the attempt to acquire three additional (and unnecessary, from the Israel Defense Forces’ point of view) submarines for the Israeli navy. He also tried to privatize the navy's maintenance services and shipyards and acquire two additional cruisers and four anti-submarine vessels that no one in Israel really needs.

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