As Netanyahu testifies in his corruption trial, a look at years of scandal

A person wears a black and white striped prison costume with a mask of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Associated Press

Dec. 10, 2024 7:40 AM PT

TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the witness stand this week for the first time in his long-running trial on corruption charges. But long before these accusations emerged, Netanyahu had been vexed by a series of embarrassing scandals and allegations.

Netanyahu, whose testimony is expected to stretch over a few weeks, consistently and vehemently denies wrongdoing and has assailed investigations into his conduct or that of his family as witch hunts driven by a hostile media and a biased justice system.

Here’s a look at some of the scandals that have beset Netanyahu, his family and his aides since he began to dominate Israel’s political scene.

Submarine suspicions

Close confidants of Netanyahu are suspected of receiving bribes to advance a deal to purchase submarines and other warships from Germany. Netanyahu is not a suspect in that case. But a state commission of inquiry looking into the affair this year sent a letter to the prime minister warning him that he could be harmed by its conclusions.

The committee did not detail the precise accusations against Netanyahu, but painted a picture of improper decision-making at multiple levels in government, the defense establishment and the military. He denies wrongdoing.

Leaked and doctored documents

A spokesperson for the Israeli leader has been charged with leaking classified information to the German tabloid Bild that indictments allegedly harmed Israel’s wartime security and interests. Netanyahu himself has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Critics say the leak was meant to sway public opinion in favor of Netanyahu’s negotiating positions with Hamas, and diminish public pressure on him to reach a deal to release hostages held by the militants amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Another Netanyahu aide is being investigated for doctoring documents, a move critics say was meant to protect Netanyahu from future investigations into his wartime conduct.

Big spending

In 2016, an official expense report revealed that Netanyahu spent more than $600,000 of public funds on a six-day trip to New York, including $1,600 on a personal hairdresser. Three years earlier, he was criticized for spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin on a five-hour flight to London. Netanyahu contended he was unaware of the cost and halted the practice. He also was forced to stop purchasing ice cream from an artisanal parlor in Jerusalem after news erupted that his office ran up a $2,700 bill for his favorite flavors, vanilla and pistachio.

His wife, Sara, has also been charged with misusing some $100,000 in public funds to order lavish meals from celebrity chefs at the prime minister’s official residence, even though she already had cooks on the government payroll. She agreed to pay $15,000 for misusing state funds as part of a plea deal.

Allegations also mounted against the Netanyahus for using government money to purchase furniture for their private beach house and to cover the medical expenses of Sara Netanyahu’s late father. The attorney general ultimately dismissed the allegations.

Flying high

Netanyahu was suspected of double-billing travel expenses and using state funds to cover personal travel in the 2000s, while he was finance minister and opposition leader. After a drawn-out investigation, the attorney general dismissed the case.

Unhappy household

Netanyahu’s household staff has repeatedly accused Sara Netanyahu of explosive tirades and mistreatment.

During Netanyahu’s first stint as prime minister, the family’s nanny said she was fired by Netanyahu’s wife for burning a pot of vegetable soup. The young woman said she was thrown out of the family’s home without her clothes or passport, and later was ordered to pick up her belongings dumped outside the front gate. Netanyahu’s office said the woman was fired because she was prone to violent outbursts.

Two household aides have won damages in lawsuits accusing Sara Netanyahu of abusive conduct. In 2016, a Jerusalem court awarded one domestic worker more than $42,000 in damages. Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu have rejected the accusations. In 2018, a recorded phone conversation surfaced of the prime minister’s wife screaming at her publicist about how a gossip column omitted mention of her educational credentials.

Joyride

In 2018, a recording surfaced of Netanyahu’s eldest son, Yair, joyriding with his rich friends to Tel Aviv strip clubs in a drunken night out in a taxpayer-funded government vehicle. He later apologized.

The 33-year-old Netanyahu has also sparked controversy for lewd and offensive social media posts over the years, such as his publishing a caricature that drew on classic antisemitic tropes. Facebook briefly suspended his account after he wrote he would prefer an Israel without any Muslims.

Mistress leak

Back in the 1990s, rumors circulated that a videotape existed depicting Netanyahu and his image consultant, a married woman named Ruth Bar, in “compromising romantic situations.” In response, Netanyahu went on television and confessed to adultery, even though the tape never turned up.

Influence peddling

During his first term in office in the 1990s, Netanyahu was suspected of appointing a crony as attorney general in exchange for political support from the ultra-religious Shas party. Prosecutors called Netanyahu’s conduct “puzzling” but ultimately closed the case, citing lack of evidence.