Netanyahu reportedly to give up Communications Ministry

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly expected to give up his post as communications minister amid claims of conflicts of interest that have emerged in ongoing police investigations.

According to a report Tuesday in the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing unnamed “political sources,” Netanyahu is likely to announce the move in the coming days, with two stalwarts from his Likud party in the running to take his place.

Netanyahu, who holds the ministry on top of the prime ministership and Foreign Ministry portfolio, is facing a High Court petition by opposition leaders to have him removed from the post over alleged conflicts of interests involving a suspected quid pro quo deal with the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth and gifts received from Channel 10 part owner Arnon Milchan.

According to the newspaper, the two most likely candidates for the post are Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev and Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi.

Netanyahu was said to have recently held talks with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who told him he would have trouble defending his continued control of the communications portfolio in court against the conflicts of interest claims.

Regev is seen as a firm Netanyahu supporter, often defending the prime minister in the media. She has tussled with cultural bodies over works perceived to take a pro-Palestinian stance.

She has previously objected to the creation of a new public broadcasting body, saying the government should have greater control over hiring decisions and content.

“It’s inconceivable that we’ll establish a corporation that we won’t control. What’s the point?” she reportedly said at a cabinet meeting in July.

Hanegbi, another Netanyahu confidant, was previously given responsibility over the Bezeq national phone company after Netanyahu declared a conflict of interest with owner Shaul Elovitz, a friend.

Regardless of which minister takes over, Netanyahu is expected to still maintain a strong influence on the office through its director-general, Shlomo Filber, a close ally.

Three weeks ago opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog petitioned the High Court to strip Netanyahu of the position, saying the conflict of interest suspicions disqualified him.

The petition argued that an alleged deal Netanyahu discussed with Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, demonstrated the prime minister’s significant interest and direct connection to the media, which invalidate him to serve as minister.

In addition to the alleged deal involving Mozes, Netanyahu is suspected of illicitly accepting gifts from wealthy benefactors, among them Hollywood movie producer Arnon Milchan, who has a stake in the Channel 10 television station.

Netanyahu has defended the gifts by saying Milchan is a good friend, though that could still constitute a conflict of interest.

Last month Haaretz reported that Justice Ministry officials have been deliberating whether to prohibit Netanyahu from involvement in any decisions pertaining to Channel 10 due to his friendship with Milchan.

Netanyahu and Milchan’s relationship has been the subject of much scrutiny of late, following revelations in early January that Milchan is a central figure in an ongoing corruption investigation against the prime minister known as Case 1000. According to reports, much of the investigation concerns allegations that Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, illicitly received hundreds of thousands of shekels’ worth of cigars and champagne from Milchan.

The state needs to respond to the court petition by the beginning of next week, and Netanyahu’s legal advisers told him he had to make his position clear before he left on a four-day official visit to the US.

Political sources noted that Netanyahu understood that during the legal discussion in court his relationship with Milchan was likely to be discussed, Yedioth reported.

Milchan’s name has also been tied to the second investigation, dubbed Case 2000, into whether Netanyahu and Mozes tried to broker a deal that would advance legislation to reduce the circulation of the free, pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom daily in exchange for friendlier coverage from rival Yedioth. The case is reportedly based on recordings of conversations between the two men.

According to a Channel 2 report last month Milchan helped broker contacts between Mozes and potential buyers and investors in Yedioth.

Police have questioned Netanyahu under caution over the allegations several times in recent weeks.

The prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in either case.

Israel Hayom, which has the highest circulation of any newspaper in Israel and is owned and financed by the American-Jewish casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, is a staunch voice of support for Netanyahu and his Likud party.

According to reports, the leaked recordings highlight the potential existence of a troublesome relationship between Netanyahu and Israel Hayom, despite repeated denials by Netanyahu over the years that he has any influence over the content of the free daily.

Mozes, often described as a long-time arch-nemesis of the prime minister, is being investigated under caution by police as well.

On Sunday, the financial daily The Marker reported that Netanyahu did not report his relationship with Milchan, who owns 9.8 percent of Channel 10, as required when he became communications minister in 2015 to prevent any conflicts of interest, despite having been deeply involved in deliberations to prevent the channel’s closure due to financial troubles in 2014.

He has also reportedly sought to close the channel due to its consistently critical reporting on his conduct.

Last June, Mandelblit, the attorney general, instructed Netanyahu to recuse himself from any decisions regarding a number of communications and media companies, including Bezeq, Yes, Pelephone, Bezeq International, Walla News and Eurocom, due to his friendship with Elovitz, the Bezeq owner.

Mandelblit also told Netanyahu to refrain from any dealings with Bezeq’s chief competitor, HOT, in his role as communications minister, saying that any decisions made by Netanyahu concerning HOT would raise concerns of a conflict of interest.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.