Could The
Government
Fall?
A political scandal in Israelis the first serious
internal threat to the Netanyahu government.
INA FRIEDMAN ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT
F
Arye Deri at a press
conference.
or over a week now, Israel has been caught
up in a whirlwind that could turn into an
unprecedented political scandal or fizzle
out as an amateurish canard.
The storm began over a week ago, when Channel
One's prime time news broadcast featured an item
that purported to explain the background to the gov-
ernment's last political embarrassment: the abortive
appointment of a new attorney general.
Three weeks ago, Justice Minister Tsachi Haneg-
bi proposed as attorney general — a post usually held
by a jurist of the highest stature — Ronni Bar-On,
a Jerusalem defense attorney. His qualifications ap-
peared to be his political connections and loyalties as
a Likud party member.
The appointment was railroaded through the cab-
inet (against the objections of some senior Likud min-
isters). The subsequent public outcry reached
unprecedented heights even before it came out that
Mr. Bar-On had a taste for gambling.
Two days after he took office, Ofer Paz-Pines, a
young Labor Knesset member, appealed the ap-
pointment to the High Court of Justice. Hours lat-
er, Mr. Bar-On resigned.
According to Channel One's report, however —
which was based on unnamed sources — the selec-
tion of Mr. Bar-On was actually forced on Mr. Ne-
tanyahu by cabinet member Arye Deli, leader of the
Orthodox Silas Party. Mr. Deri, by
the way, is currently on trial for
fraud and embezzlement commit-
ted as interior minister inure than
seven years ago.
Mr. Deri, the report alleged, ap-
proached Mr. Bar-On and cut a
deal for a plea bargain on lesser
charges. With that commitment,
allegedly on tape, Mr. Deri then
met with Mr. Netanyahu and the
director-general of the Prime Min-
ister's Office, Avigdor Lieberman.
Mr. Deri threatened that if Mr. Bar-On were not
made attorney general, Shas would leave the gov-
ernment. Thereafter, the report continued, Shas let
it be known that its ministers would vote against the
emerging Hebron agreement if the deal didn't go
through.
In response, Mr. Lieberman allegedly told Mr. Deri
that Mr. Bar-On would get the coveted post. He did,
and Shas supported the Hebron accord although Mr.
Bar-On had resigned by the time the agreement came
up for a vote.
Calling the report a "total fabrication," Mr. Ne-
tanyahu angrily blamed the mess on his political op-
ponents in the press.
Interviewed on the rival Channel Two, Mr. Deri
argued that theory made no sense because his trial
(now in its second year) was too far advanced to in-
troduce a plea bargain. In any case, it would require
the consent not just of the new attorney general, but
of the state attorney, the police, and the three judges
sitting on the case. "There's no way such a maneuver
is remotely feasible," he said.
Nonetheless, Channel One's reporter stood by her
story. She was backed by the director of Channel One,
Ya'ir Stern, and the chief of its news department,
Rafik Halabi — who checked out the story person-
ally. He has declared that the evidence is "as firm
as 10 tons of poured concrete."
The one thing both Mr. Netanyahu and Channel
One agreed upon was the need for a police investi-
gallon of the allegations. It was ordered and begun
on Sunday by Acting-Attorney General Edna Arbel.
Mr. Arbel has made it clear that should it become
necessary, the police will go to court to obtain the ev-
idence in Channel One's hands. Before things go that
far, however, it is expected that Messrs Deli, Bar-On,
Lieberman, and perhaps Mr. Netanyahu will be ques-
tioned by the police.
If Mr. Netanyahu effectively allowed a man on tri-
al on criminal charges to dictate the choice of a new
attorney general, his integrity as prime minister
would come into serious question.
Interestingly, Mr. Netanyahu's ministers failed to
rush to his defense. When the story broke, a number
of them were careful to state that if the allegations
bear any truth, the government does not deserve to
stand.
Recently, the head of the Knesset Constitution,
Law and Justice Committee, Shaul Yahal of the Na-
tional Religious Party, went a step further by drop-
ping the bombshell that the two NRP ministers had
voted against Mr. Bar-On's appointment because they
had information that his candidacy had resulted from
a deal.
The media has likewise been cautious in its sup-
port for Channel One. That could be credited to pro-
fessional jealousy, of course. But the fact remains that
in a country where it's almost impossible to keep a
secret, none of the other news organizations have
been able to independently corroborate the key ele-
ments of the story.
Equally disquieting, in the eyes of professional col-
leagues, is the fact that the station rushed on the air
with its explosive story before consulting its own le-
gal adviser.
Still, there's a happy ending at least to the first
chapter. Two days later, the government was expected
to appoint District Court Judge Eliakim Rubinstein,
one of the country's most experienced and respected
legal figures, as the new attorney general. He will
play a key role in helping steer the government, the
press, and the public through the rough patch that
undoubtedly lies ahead. ❑
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