Yisrael Beytenu’s Aharonovitch to quit politics
With many in his party under police probe, public security minister to stand down
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch announced Friday that he would be retiring from politics and would not seek reelection in March after serving for three Knesset terms. He made the decision at a time when several members of his Yisrael Beytenu party are under police investigation for corruption.
Aharonovitch, 64, spent 32 years in the defense world, rising to the top post in the Border Police. He entered the Knesset with Yisrael Beytenu in 2006, becoming tourism minister from 2007 to 2008. When Benjamin Netanyahu formed his new government in 2009, Aharonovitch was appointed public security minister.
Yisrael Beytenu party chief, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, thanked Aharonovitch for his service. “As Public Security Minister, and as Tourism Minister, Aharonovitch contributed greatly to the State of Israel, to its security and its strength, and I am convinced that Aharonovitch will continue to contribute to Israel, and we will continue our cooperation in the future.”
The Shin Bet’s Magen personnel security unit earlier this week tightened security around the home of Aharonovitch, following a series of anonymous death threats lodged against him in recent weeks. The unit further ordered the Yisrael Beytenu minister to only travel in armored vehicles until further notice.
Last month, a photoshopped image depicting Aharonovitch dressed in Nazi uniform surfaced on social media, days after other Israeli politicians were similarly portrayed. A caption accompanying the photo accused him of being a “Judenrat/Kapo in charge of internal ‘security’ in the Israeli concentration camp better known as the State of Israel.”
Aharonovitch was not informed that his own Yisrael Beytenu party was under police investigation for over a year until a wide-scale roundup of dozens of suspects last month.
Police did not tell Aharonovitch about the probe, which cast suspicion on members of the Yisrael Beytenu faction, among them Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirshenbaum..
Investigators suspect that large sums of money were inappropriately transferred to non-government organizations and various other groups. In return, the organizations allegedly made nepotistic appointments, as well as circulating some of the money back to public service officials in the form of cash payoffs and benefits.
Aharonovitch only found out about the case early in the morning as cops were rounding up some 30 suspects, including the director of a ministry, believed to be involved in the affair.
Liberman has referred to the probe as a “witch hunt” that was purposely launched ahead of Knesset elections in March.
The reputation of the Yisrael Beytenu party has been heavily damaged by the allegations. Recent polls suggest the right-wing party will gain between 5-7 seats in the upcoming election, far less than its current 13 seats in the legislature.
Stuart Winer contributed to this report.
