Ya’alon: Netanyahu ‘should have resigned a while ago’

Former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “should have resigned a while ago” as a result of the ongoing criminal investigations against him.

Speaking at a cultural event in the northern city of Afula, Ya’alon said that Netanyahu’s refusal to step down despite being a suspect in two criminal investigations was a result of the problematic “political culture” in Israel.

“This is a matter of political culture, obviously there is no smoke without fire,” he said.

“In the political culture of Britain or the US, when an issue arises and an investigation is opened, people resign,” he said, adding that in Israel “someone in the past gave himself immunity and passed legislation that a prime minister does not need to resign.”

Under Israeli law, a prime minister does not need to step down if indicted and can continue to serve as premier during the duration of a trial.

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert, who is currently serving an 18-month sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice, resigned as prime minister as the tide of corruption allegations rose against him.

A number of Netanyahu’s allies in the coalition have said that they would support Netanyahu continuing to serve as prime minister even if either of the criminal investigations against him, which are known as Case 1000 and Case 2000, leads to an indictment.

Case 1000 revolves around alleged illicit gifts given to Netanyahu and his family from billionaire benefactors, most notably hundreds of thousands of shekels’ worth of cigars and champagne said to have been given to the prime minister and his wife Sara by Israeli-born Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.

Netanyahu and his wife are said to have denied that receiving the gifts constituted a criminal offense, claiming the value of the items was significantly lower than reported and that they were mere “trifles” exchanged between close friends.

Case 2000 is focused on an alleged clandestine quid pro quo deal made between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher and owner Arnon “Noni” Mozes, in which the prime minister is said to have promised Mozes he would advance legislation to reduce the circulation of Yedioth’s main commercial rival, the freebie Israel Hayom, in exchange for friendlier coverage from Yedioth. No such deal was ever implemented. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.

Since resigning from the Knesset in May 2016 after he was replaced as defense minister by Avigdor Liberman, Ya’alon has become a fierce critic of Netanyahu and vowed last month to form a new party to challenge the prime minister and the ruling Likud party in the next parliament elections.

In addition to criticizing Netanyahu at Saturday’s Ya’alon also attacked his successor at the defense ministry, saying that Liberman’s failure to live up to a number of hawkish promises that he made prior to becoming defense minister has eroded his credibility.

“Ask yourselves with all the words that have been thrown up into the air when I was defense minister — criticism of what is going on, [talk of] eliminating Hamas, an ultimatum of 48 hours for [Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh, a second Defense Shield in the West Bank, targeted assassinations with planes in the West Bank — so why hasn’t he done this,” Ya’alon said, referring to a number of statements and promises Liberman made before taking up the defense portfolio.

“Therefore when people behave like this, in the end I am not ready to buy from them a used car. I don’t trust them,” he added.