A-G blocked police questioning of Kerry in Netanyahu graft case — report

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit reportedly rejected a police request to question former US Secretary of State John Kerry and former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro in the ongoing corruption investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s affairs.

Netanyahu reportedly asked Kerry three times in 2014 to intervene and arrange a long-term US visa for Israeli film producer Arnon Milchan, who allegedly provided Netanyahu and his wife with expensive cigars and champagne valued at hundreds of thousands of shekels.

Sources in the Justice Ministry maintained that Netanyahu broadly admitted to asking Kerry and Shapiro about the visa, prompting Mandelblit to conclude that it was unnecessary to question the US politicians who served under former president Barack Obama, the Haaretz daily reported late Thursday. Mandelblit also reportedly told his team that questioning the US officials at this point would be highly sensitive.

“At the current time the attorney general feels there is no real need to question them,” a source involved in the investigation told Haaretz. “We are still in the middle of the investigation, and if it turns out later that it is necessary to get testimony from either of the American officials the testimony will be taken.”

However, he added, “we will try very hard to avoid such a move.”

Born in Israel, the LA-based Hollywood producer Milchan, 72, never became a US citizen, but used to enjoy 10-year visas to live there, Channel 2 news said in January. However, in 2013, he gave an interview to the same TV channel in which he acknowledged that he had worked in the past for the Israeli intelligence community. In the wake of his disclosures, the TV report said, Milchan — behind such movie hits as “Fight Club,” “Pretty Woman,” “LA Confidential,” “12 Years a Slave” and “The Big Short” — was no longer afforded 10-year US visas, and instead was required to apply for an annual extension.

Acting on Milchan’s behalf, Netanyahu asked Kerry three times in 2014 to intervene; restoration of a 10-year US visa for Milchan was subsequently secured, the TV report said.

The investigation, dubbed Case 1000, into whether there has been an illegal conflict of interest in Netanyahu accepting gifts from businessmen, and taking actions on their behalf, is one of a series of ongoing corruption investigations against Netanyahu. The prime minister firmly denies any wrongdoing.

Police are checking whether the Netanyahus received some NIS 400,000-600,000 ($100,000-150,000) in gifts of cigars and fine wines from Milchan. The couple have reportedly insisted that the sums involved were far lower, and that the gifts were unremarkable seeing that the Milchans are their close friends. Other businessmen are also alleged to have provided the Netanyahus with gifts.

The prime minister is also being investigated in a second case, known as Case 2000, which involves alleged negotiations with the publisher of the Yedioth Aharonoth daily, Arnon Mozes, and focuses on the prime minister’s supposed promise to advance legislation to hobble the Sheldon Adelson-controlled Israel Hayom paper in exchange for more favorable coverage from Yedioth.

Channel 10 reported in January that police were looking into two more possible criminal probes against Netanyahu, dubbing them “Case 3000” and “Case 4000.”

The TV report suggested that Case 3000 deals with the purchase of submarines, but gave no information on Case 4000. Channel 2 News said last month that police sources deny the existence of Case 4000.