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Netanyahu seemingly unfazed by wife's fraud indictment

For the time being, the indictment of Sara Netanyahu for fraud and breach of trust has not damaged the popularity of her husband, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among Israelis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu stand next to the dedication plaque of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, after the dedication ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, May 14, 2018. Picture taken May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun      TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC199AA3C720

The shoe finally dropped on June 21. Israeli prosecutors filed an indictment against Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The charge: fraud and breach of trust while exploiting her position as wife of the prime minister. It is alleged that all this went on for more than two and a half years in the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem.

Almost 20 years have elapsed since the first criminal investigation was opened into Benjamin Netanyahu (2000). Now, an indictment has been filed for the first time against a member of the family that has ruled Israel for almost a full decade. It comes after an endless series of investigations and testimony from around the world (including Australia, the United States, Europe and elsewhere), the recruitment of state’s witnesses and much indecision. True, Sara Netanyahu is not Israel’s prime minister, but anyone familiar with the goings-on in the official residence knows that she is a full partner in the ruling enterprise. She has great influence on her husband, managing his life around the clock. Anyone who harms her, harms her husband.

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