Opposition Accuses ‘Corrupt’ Netanyahu Of Drawing Salary, Benefits

“The monthly payments start at 48,815 shekels. Netanyahu then gives kickbacks to the State and its institutions, such that more than 36,000 shekels of the total figure go back to Israel.”

Jerusalem, January 29 – Senior figures in the parliamentary opposition charged that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gets paid more than 17,000 shekels each month by the State, a fact that creates a conflict of interest for the premier, who is supposed to refrain from accepting payments.

Zionist Union faction and Labor party leader Isaac Herzog, who leads the Opposition, called on Netanyahu once again to resign, saying that the receipt of 17,645 shekels each month cannot help but cloud the prime minister’s judgment in making decisions affecting Israel – decisions that are supposed to be handled from a neutral perspective. Herzog further contended that if he were prime minister, he would not allow the welfare or prosperity of the State to merit consideration in forming policy.

HaTnua Party leader Tzipi Livni, who shares leadership of the Zionist Union with Herzog, joined him and several other Opposition figures to denounce Netanyahu for the corruption evident in accepting such monies, and for the flagrant, public fashion in which he does it. Standing alongside Meretz MKs Zehava Gal-On and Tamar Zandberg, Livni lambasted the prime minister for prejudicing his decisions in favor of Israel because the latter pays him a salary.

“The office of Prime Minister has to be above such considerations,” asserted Livni. “Bibi, the most corrupt leader we’ve ever had, has even stopped the pretense of being neutral. He’s unabashedly pro-Israel, and that’s unacceptable. It is past time for him to step down in favor of real leadership, which, under the aegis of the Zionist Union, would never be so biased as to look out for the interests of Israel over anyone else’s.”

“It’s even worse if you look at the gross figure,” added Zandberg. “The monthly payments start at 48,815 shekels. Netanyahu then gives kickbacks to the State and its institutions, such that more than 36,000 shekels of the total figure go back to Israel. Such cronyism and favoritism has no place in our society.” Zandberg said she dreamed of the day when the narrow interests of Israel would no longer be the determining factor in policies formulated by the Government of Israel.

She clarified that her objections to Netanyahu’s behavior did not stem from opposition to taxation. “Properly, the government should own everything,” she explained. “I just wish that we had someone worthy of the position, someone who wouldn’t put Israel’s interests before everyone else’s. Someone with vision, someone I’ve admired for a very long time. Someone such as Yasser Arafat.”

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