the needy, even to make the
poor of the land to fail—Amos 8:4
Could that mass murder, that meaty massacre known as WWII have been stopped by removing from power Roosevelt and Hitler, Churchill and Stalin? We will never know for sure, but in 2013 humanity faces a similar problem.
In recent years, the leader of a tiny country placed at the center of a strategic area is crying "Wolf!" and calling for a war that can easily deteriorate into WWIII. Political attempts to remove him from power are periodically reported here. However, can the problem be solved using a different approach?
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is highly skilled in financing war, to the extent that the disappearance of $3 billion on a war on Iran that never took place almost cost him the 2013 elections.*
He survived the event due to the secret nature of the budget recipient, but secrecy on non-sensitive issues is no longer possible since 2010. The Israeli Government decided then to develop theGovernment Database as part of its Available Government Policy ("mimshal zamin" in Hebrew). ** The database is open for public use. Whenever the government tries to keep secret embarrassing expenses, it is sued and forced by the court to disclose the details. On December 1, 2013, Netanyahu was hit again by such an event.
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"Mmmm, I see your point"
The Napoleonic Wars Experience  |
Following a lawsuit by the Movement for Free Information, today was disclosed the cost to the State of Netanyahu's Palace. The data is shocking. Israel is paying for the official residence in Jerusalem and expenses of his house in exclusive Caesarea, home to Russian billionaires and star-lawyers claiming "Kerry is the enemy of the Jews".
Since I respect my readers' time, I will keep the details to a minimum. 3 Million shekels was the cost of maintaining the Jerusalem residence in 2012; the Caesarean breeze cost 300,000 shekels. In total, roughly one million dollar. This is two times the cost of Ehud Olmert's last years as Prime Minister, in 2008. How did Netanyahu justify the increase?
More than $20,000 were spent on water. The same amount was spent in flowers. An exercising bike cost $1,000. Coffee cost $5,000. Are you on a Blue Mountain Cofee diet, Mr Netanyahu? Catering cost well over $10,000, cleaning cost over $100,000. Is the cleaning company dusting the furniture with pulverized gold?
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"Shut up, you cheap demagogue!" was the spirit of the Prime Minister Bureau answer to the media. "Year 2012 was exceptional because we implemented a new financial computer program (that cost $150,000!)." How is that related to cleaning and coffee costs? Netanyhau was not kind enough to reveal the secret. If you understand that, you are at least prime minister material.
Long History of Personal Corruption
As MI6's Chief, Bibi has earned the right to sign with a green "C." Yet, in this case it won't stand for "chief," but for "corrupt." Let me just mention two prominent cases.
The large picture below shows Sara Netanyahu attending Margaret Thatcher's funeral in London, on April 17, 2013. Her smile beats the one of Buddha after achieving Nirvana. She was not being disrespectful to Thatcher; her bliss was due to the British fascinator hat. After Sara's fascinating discovery of British fashion, Israeli media were stunned to discover how much Sara's bliss had cost. The State of Israel had invested $127,000 in four walls and a door installed around a double bed, as well as 22 business class seats fitted on a plane chartered from El Al, Israel's national airline. The aircraft cost about $300,000 to use, before the custom fittings, designed for a flight of about five-and-a-half hours. Yet, Sara needed a powerful nap before boasting the ridiculous garment.
"Bibi is king, and in a monarchy, when the king and queen fly, price is no object," said political commentator Sima Kadmon.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Third Lady during Margaret Thatcher's Funeral, April 17, 2013
Sarah's hat is called "a fascinator" and is now the rage in the UK
Related: IDF Abandons Greater Gaza
Did you know? Key IDF Rearrangement Announced
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"Bibi-Tours Affair" is the name given to several luxury trips abroad that Benjamin Netanyahu and his family made in the last decade, during his terms as finance minister and opposition leader. Netanyahu's attorneys provided the comptroller's office with documents, receipts and invoices related in a bid to prove that nothing improper was done; yet, even Netanyahu confirms the basic facts. These are very odd, to say the least. The events were first exposed by Raviv Drucker on Israel's Channel 10; in 2011, Netanyahu filed against them a libel suit that is still underway. Following these minor fights, the comptroller decided to probe the funding for Netanyahu’s trips abroad, and his campaign in the Likud primary.
Drucker claimed that Netanyahu had accepted funding from private American businessmen for trips for himself and his family while in public office. In August 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife, and one of their sons traveled to London on a trip funded by both the Knesset and Israel Bonds. Encouraged by their success, the following month they traveled to the USA while the trip was fully paid by two different organizations. The comptroller added to these events the private campaign donations that Netanyahu received for the 2005 Likud Primaries; sadly, he had forgotten to report them to the state comptroller as required by law.
The Bibi-Tours Affair died quietly after it was found that most trips (not everything mentioned here, this is just an executive summary) have been paid by American citizens as commented in America Pays for Netanyahu’s Luxury Trips. "Thank you, America, thank you!" Netanyhau said.
Colossal Incompetence
On, June 13, 2012, Israel State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss published his report on the Israeli government behavior in the events related to Gaza’s Freedom Flotilla of May 2010. The publication timing was not casual, Mr. Lindenstrauss delayed the report as much as he could since there was no way he could portray Netanyahu positively; he waited until a few days before leaving office.
The report released doesn't look into the unjustifiable violence of the IDF during the raid, but into Netanyahu's handling of the event. He turned out being rather clumsy and incompetent to the extent of causing an unnecessary disaster. In the words of the comptroller: "The decision making process regarding the dealings with the Turkish flotilla led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and under his responsibility was found to include essential and significant flaws.
"Despite the fact that information concerning the Turkish flotilla began accumulating at the beginning of 2010, and despite the recognition by the prime minister that it represented an irregular event, the decision-making process was done without proper coordination.
"In reality, the Prime Minister made the decision as the way to deal with the Turkish Flotilla based on the discussion held in this forum, and based on the recommendations of his friends," the comptroller wrote.
This is the way one runs the neighborhood's coffee shop, not a State. Finally, the excessive coffee expenses are explained!
Stopping WWIII
Stalin and Churchill, Hitler and Roosevelt are dead. WWII is over. Playing "what if" with it leads nowhere. Yet, can we stop WWIII? Can a bestial attack on Iran that ay easily deteriorate into a full regional and global war be stopped?
Netanyhau is losing power; yet, he is the Likud party king.+ If seeing his political end he may be tempted to go to war in order to keep power. This explains quite well the $3 billion spent the last year.
Yet there is amounting evidence of personal corruption on a scale unknown until now in Israel. Is any organization in Israel honest enough to tackle Netanyahu on this issue?
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