Channel 12 reporter Amit Segal dropped what can only be described as a massive bombshell on Monday evening with regards to the investigation and criminal charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For the past few years, Netanyahu has repeatedly complained about leaks and false information, and has insisted fake criminal cases were being built up against him and his wife Sara by the prosecution and investigators.
According to the Segal report, that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Among the charges made by Segal, was one going back to 2015, alleging that a senior policeman investigating Sara Netanayhu was secretly involved in a romance with Judy Nir-Mozes. The rumors began right before the officer was supposed to be appointed to investigate the Noni Mozes-Netanyahu tapes, which eventually morphed into Case 2000 against PM Netanyahu.
Judy Nir-Mozes is the sister of Noni Mozes, a man who owns the Yediot Achronot newspaper, and he is not a fan of the Netanyahus. It is suspected the policeman also leaked information to Nir-Mozes, including details about the cases, and thus he had a clear conflict of interest.
That relationship was confirmed by the police a year later, but the investigation against the policeman was closed. If the information about the relationship and conflict of interest had been exposed, it would have aided Sara Netanyahu in her case, which the policeman investigated.
Only after the senior policeman’s wife told reporters that her husband was having the affair did the police then inform the investigations division of Internal Affairs (IA), which began an investigation.
In 2018, in an unprecedented move, Assistant State Attorney Momi Lemberger then forbade Internal Affairs from examining the Case 2000 police file against PM Netanyahu, for what he said were “obvious reasons.”
Soon afterwards, a new head of IA was appointed, and by then all the police investigators involved in the case and cover-ups were no longer in the police. The head of IA closed the investigation based on “no public interest in investigating” the case, despite the deep suspicion of wrongdoing.
Unrelated to the Netanyahu investigation, State Attorney Shai Nitzan was also involved in what Segal describes as a cover up after police killed Abu Al-Qia’an, a civilian in Umm al Hiran.
Police Chief Roni Alsheikh declared the man a terrorist, but IA said the man was not. Alsheikh even claimed that IA was hiding proof the man was a terrorist. IA demanded that State Attorney Nitzan order Alsheikh to issue a retraction.
Nitzan allegedly admitted that Alsheikh in a secret email that he acted incorrectly, but having Alsheikh retract his statement would only help those who want to hurt the system. A short time later, the IA investigation was closed.
אבל ניצן מודה במייל סודי: המפכ”ל התנהג שערורייתית, אבל לא נעזור “כי זה יעשה טוב למי שרוצה ברעת המערכת, ודי לחכימא”. זמן קצר אחר כך יסגור את תיק החקירה נגד השוטרים. סוף. pic.twitter.com/xPAzxQAHiQ
— ZioNLight (@ZioNLight1)
When Segal confronted Nitzan with the allegations, he denied them. Segal had the email in hand at the time.
פניתי לשי ניצן ושאלתי אותו אם התבטא כך על המפכל. לא סיפרתי לו שיש לי את המייל. תגובתו: אלה טענות כזב שקריות. מתלבט אם להאמין למייל או לניצן https://t.co/EiZGTHJpEV
— עמית סגל Amit Segal (@amit_segal)
REACTIONS
PM Netanyahu Tweeted:
“Shocking! Tonight, Amit Segal drops an atomic bomb and proves in correspondence between senior police and prosecutors: this is how they sewed together cases for Prime Minister Netanyahu, via criminal acts and while disrupting investigative proceedings. Share the truth >>”
מזעזע! עמית סגל מטיל הערב פצצת אטום ומוכיח בהתכתבויות בין בכירי משטרה ופרקליטות: כך תפרו תיקים לראש הממשלה נתניהו, במעשים פליליים ותוך שיבוש הליכי חקירה. שתפו את האמת >> pic.twitter.com/WNOZQCh8os
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu)
Minister of Public Security Amir Ohana (Likud) stated, “It is sad to see the corruption in law enforcement systems not only in TV series but also in life itself. Systems that put agendas above an investigation of the truth.”
Former Transportation Minister and MK Bezalel Smotrich (Yamina) described the expose as an “earthquake.” He said that deep corruption painted a target on Netanyahu’s head, and decided that “for the good of the state” they must convict him at all costs. He demanded that Mandelblit close Case 2000 today, and called for a parliamentary investigation committee against the Attorney General and his people for conflict of interest.
שאלת מליון הדולר: האם מנדנבליט ידע על הסיפור (ואז זה מסביר את ההתעקשות שלו על מינוי מומי למברגר למ”מ פרקליט המדינה)? אם כן הוא חייב להתפטר עוד הלילה מתפקידו.
— בצלאל סמוטריץ’ (@bezalelsm)
Former Justice Minister and MK Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) seconded Smotrich’s call for the Knesset investigation.
החשיפה של עמית סגל מאירה באור קשה את מערכת אכיפת החוק בישראל.
יש לחקור את הארועים המתוארים בצורה מעמיקה וללא מורא, ולטפל בכשלים בצורה נחושה.
רק כך יהא ניתן להשיב את האמון של אזרחי ישראל במערכת החוק.— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett)
The prosecution released a statement, “We would like to clarify, after examining things, that the entire article is tenditious, distorted and takes things out of context.” The statement then gave a response to many of the points that Segal raised.
While these are just some of the immediate reactions to the report, in the coming days we are going to start seeing some of the ramifications from Amit Segal’s expose. There will likely be a decision this Wednesday to establish a Knesset investigation committee, and that’s just the beginning.