There is no evidence of a ‘quid pro quo’ for the valuable gifts that our PM received; hence there is no proof of bribery. However it’s unseemly for any politician, especially a Prime Minister, to accept valuable gifts. In fact it should be illegal for any politician or ranking civil servant to receive any gifts of significant value. I would suggest that a law should be passed forbidding public servants or politicians or judges from receiving any valuable gifts. A valuable gift being defined as one that is worth more than a gift that would normally be given to a boy by a non-relative on the occasion of his bar mitzvah.
Having said that, there is a more serious reason for expecting Prime Minister Netanyahu to resign. Famously, President Truman had a sign on his desk; “the buck stops here”. Regardless of whether he was informed of all the evidence of the imminence of the Oct 7 attack, Netanyahu was in charge. The conception that Hamas was deterred that pervaded Israel’s entire leadership was his responsibility, the fact that information was not passed up the line to him or the military leadership was his responsibility. All of the top echelon of the leadership in Israel, both political and military must be replaced.
It would be proper for Netanyahu to announce that he will retire from politics at some specific date in the very near future. The unfounded charges against him must be dropped. The probes into the disastrous failures on Oct7 must be completed in an effective manner. We would then be able to continue to eliminate Hamas and possibly retrieve the hostages.
stephenscohen.com 