Israel

Bibi Wins in Olmert Trial

Even by the often toxic standards of Israeli political discourse there are limits, a judge ruled Monday, awarding damages to the newly designated prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and members of his family in a libel suit they brought against another former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who had described them as being “mentally ill.”

The ruling brought an end to a lurid and at times circuslike courtroom drama during which Olmert brought witnesses to testify about disturbing goings-on in the Netanyahu household, including accusations of afflictions such as eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive behavior, narcissism, and paranoia.

But, according to the judge, Amit Yariv, despite all the hours of testimony, Olmert failed to establish or produce any professional medical diagnosis to back up his assertions and had gone beyond the bounds of expressing an opinion in good faith that would be protected by the principles of free speech. The judge ruled that Olmert had defamed Netanyahu; Netanyahu’s wife, Sara; and their eldest son, Yair, in a television interview that Olmert gave around the time of a bitter and inconclusive election in the spring of 2021.

“Another mendacious plot against Prime Minister Netanyahu, his wife and family has been shattered,” Yossi Cohen, the Netanyahus’ lawyer, said in a statement after the ruling, which was broadcast live.

The Netanyahus had demanded about $250,000 in damages but were awarded $18,000 in total.

“The final result is that by serving the suit, the harsh statements made by Mr. Olmert received wide exposure and were brought to the attention of the entire public,” Olmert’s lawyer, Amir Tytunovich said in a statement. “The Netanyahu family, who turned to the court in the hope of receiving a ‘certificate of sanity,’ came out without one,” he added.

The two sides have up to 60 days to appeal the outcome. (© The New York Times)

Azerbaijan to Open Embassy

The Azerbaijani parliament on Friday approved a proposal to open an embassy in Israel. It will be the first Shi’ite Muslim country to do so.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid welcomed the move. “Azerbaijan is an important partner of Israel and home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the Muslim world,” he said.

“The decision to open an embassy reflects the depth of the relationship between our countries. This move is the result of the Israeli government’s efforts to build strong diplomatic bridges with the Muslim world,” he said.

Israel has had an embassy in Baku since 1992.

The Azeri decision reflects its close ties with Israel — particularly in the fields of security and trade — and its increasingly strained ties with Iran.

Earlier this week, Azerbaijan said it arrested five of its nationals for spying for Iran after a rise in tensions between the neighbors. The arrests came a week after Baku and Tehran accused each other of hostile rhetoric.

Iran, home to millions of ethnic Azeris, has long accused its smaller northern neighbor of fueling separatist sentiment on its territory.

Last month, Defense Minister Benny Gantz held an official visit to Azerbaijan, where he met with his Azeri counterpart, Zakir Hasanov, and the country’s President Ilham Aliyev.

Smotrich Will Get Finance Post

Netanyahu has reached a compromise with Religious Zionist party leader Bezalel Smotrich in their stalled coalition talks, with Smotrich agreeing to give up his demand to be defense minister and instead take over the Treasury.

The defense portfolio will remain with Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Under the proposed compromise, which has yet to be confirmed by the parties, Smotrich would gain control of the Finance Ministry, while the other main contender for that job —Aryeh Deri of Shas — will get the Interior Ministry.

A report by the Kan public broadcaster suggests that Deri would receive a “super ministry” that would effectively combine the Interior Ministry and Transportation Ministry into one office — to make up for losing out on the finance minister job.

Shas would also receive the Negev and Galilee Ministry. According to Kan, Shas is also set to control the Health Ministry and the Diaspora Affairs Ministry; Channel 12 said instead that it would receive the Religious Services Ministry and a position in the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to Channel 12, Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, will be named public security minister, giving him control over the police. His party will also take the Agriculture Ministry.

If Deri will receive the Interior Ministry, certain laws will have to be kept in mind. Current law bars individuals sentenced to prison time from serving as a minister for seven years. Deri was convicted of several tax offenses earlier this year and received a 12-month suspended sentence, ostensibly barring him from receiving another cabinet post. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has clarified the Basic Law referred to both suspended sentences and jail time. Shas MK Moshe Arbel has in the meantime drafted a bill to change clause six of Basic Law: Government, which would allow those who were given suspended sentences to receive ministerial appointments.

In addition, the post of acting prime minister is by law only available to those who are in the same party as the prime minister, requiring more legislation to open the position for Deri, Channel 12 said.

Deri previously served 22 months in prison from 2000 to 2002. That verdict carried a conviction of moral turpitude, keeping him out of politics for seven years after his release. In 2013, he returned to politics, reclaiming the leadership of Shas and ultimately returning to serve as interior minister from 2016 until last year, when his party entered the opposition. A court had ruled that his prior conviction did not disqualify him from the position.

Most Russian Immigrants Not Jewish

According to a study released by the Knesset’s research department last week, nearly three out of every four new immigrants from the former Soviet Union in 2020 were not Jewish.

The survey, which was ordered by Knesset member Yoav Ben Tzur of the Shas party, was held up as a justification for those who oppose the “grandchild clause” of the Law of Return, which currently grants Israeli citizenship to anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent so long as they don’t practice another religion.

As part of ongoing coalition negotiations, the United Torah Judaism, Shas and Religious Zionism parties have demanded the removal of the clause in order to ensure that a far higher percentage of new immigrants are considered Jewish — either being