MK apologizes after Hollywood mogul threatens libel suit

Likud party MK David Amsalem responded Wednesday to a libel threat from billionaire movie producer Arnon Milchan, saying he apologized “if” Milchan was “personally hurt” by his statements.

He also noted that he had parliamentary immunity from prosecution, and asserted that he was only expressing an opinion when he suggested that Milchan was seeking to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with statements he made to police in a graft probe.

The relationship between Netanyahu, his wife, and Milchan forms the core of a police investigation — known as “Case 1000” — into whether the Netanyahus received improper gifts worth hundreds of thousands of shekels.

In a Monday letter, Milchan’s legal representative Boaz Ben Zur gave Amsalem 48 hours to publicly retract and apologize for comments he made during an interview with Army Radio, in which Amsalem also suggested that Milchan may have lied to investigators to achieve his goal. Netanyahu disavowed Amsalem’s statements.

In a response letter to Milchan’s threat, Amsalem, who is chairman of the Knesset Interior Affairs Committee, explained that the interviews he gave that day were merely “an expression of opinion on the interpretation presented by the interviewers that the testimony of Mr. Milchan affects the Israeli government and the prime minister in some way,” he wrote in Hebrew.

“If Mr. Milchan sees himself as personally hurt, then I am sorry for that,” Amsalem concluded.

During his interview with Army Radio Sunday, Amsalem charged that the Hollywood mogul himself is behind the ongoing police investigation into the Netanyahus.

“They are wild, unbridled and unfounded slander,” Ben Zur wrote of Amsalem’s accusations. “These are false statements that amount to defamation.”

Until Sunday, Milchan, a powerful Hollywood producer and former Israeli spy, had been portrayed as a close friend and benefactor of Netanyahu and his wife, Sara.

Amsalem, however, painted Milchan as plotting against the prime minister.

“Ask yourself why Milchan is even telling these stories,” he said. “Milchan came to the police. Something is going on here.”

Milchan reportedly told Israeli police under questioning that the Netanyahus demanded the champagne and cigars that he has allegedly been supplying them, and that they were not, as the couple has claimed, merely gifts he gave out of generosity and friendship.

Amsalem charged that the ongoing leaks of material from the investigation were designed to turn the public against Netanyahu.

Asked what Milchan was trying to do, Amsalem replied, “To bring down the prime minister.”

“Milchan could be lying,” he added.

Sources close to Milchan responded Sunday to Amsalem’s statements by suggesting that the lawmaker was acting under instruction from Netanyahu himself.

“It is embarrassing and worrying to see a smear campaign that was opened this morning by emissaries acting on behalf of interested parties against a man who dedicated his life to fortify the security and prosperity of Israel,” unnamed Milchan associates told Israeli media.

In response, Netanyahu’s bureau denied attempts to besmirch Milchan. “There was no such thing. We don’t intend to respond to all the false accusations,” an official was quoted by Hebrew media as saying.

A second investigation, known as “Case 2000,” is looking into suspicions Netanyahu negotiated with Israel’s top-selling newspaper publisher to push legislation to hamper a competitor, in return for more favorable coverage.

The two investigations threaten Netanyahu’s hold on power. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.

On Sunday, Israel Police chief Roni Alsheich said the probes were close to completion.

“We already know what conclusions we have reached in the investigation,” Alscheich told reporters, without elaborating. “I believe we will bring the material to the prosecutor for a decision in the next few weeks,” he said.