A look at corruption cases involving Israeli prime ministers.
Benjamin Netanyahu is the first sitting prime minister in Israel to stand trial after being accused of corruption, but he is hardly the only one to have been mired in such scandals.
Nearly all Israeli prime ministers since 1996, including Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Ehud Olmert, alongside Netanyahu, have been investigated on charges of corruption, as have several other cabinet ministers, Knesset members, and mayors.
Here is an overview of the major corruption scandals in Israel over the past two decades.
Benjamin Netanyahu
The sitting prime minister of Israel was indicted in three cases – known as “1000”, “2000”, and “4000” – for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, involving allegedly accepting illicit gifts and trading regulatory favours for positive media coverage.
The trial is ongoing. Netanyahu admits to taking gifts but claims no favours were returned.
On Sunday, November 30, President Isaac Herzog’s office confirmed that Netanyahu submitted a formal pardon request, saying his ongoing trial divides the nation as he goes on a spree of attacking neighbouring countries in the Middle East.
Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister who served from 2006 to 2009, faced a range of charges over misconduct during his terms as trade minister, communications minister and finance minister.
Olmert resigned in 2008 – staying on in a caretaker capacity for a few months – before he could be indicted after a US businessman, Morris Talansky, testified about giving Olmert cash-stuffed envelopes in the 1990s for political and personal expenses.
Olmert was convicted of breach of trust in July 2012, of bribery in March 2014, and of breach of trust in March 2015. His six-year sentence was reduced to 18 months in December 2015.
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon, the former prime minister from March 2001 to April 2006, was investigated for bribery allegations that real-estate developers and foreign businessmen sought political favours from him and his sons in exchange for financial benefits.
Despite recommendations to indict some associates, prosecutors ultimately did not charge Sharon himself, citing insufficient evidence.
However, his son, Omri Sharon, served prison time for illegal fundraising connected to the campaigns.
Ezer Weizman
Ezer Weizman, who served as Israel’s president from 1993 to 2000 after retiring as commander of the Air Force and minister of defence, faced allegations of fraud and breach of trust for receiving large cash gifts – more than $300,000 from a French businessman – while serving as a lawmaker and minister.
Weizman resigned from the presidency in 2000 to avoid prosecution.
Although prosecutors determined that Weizman had accepted the money, he was never formally charged or tried in a court of law because the statute of limitations had elapsed by the time the investigation concluded.
Aryeh Deri
Aryeh Deri, one of the founders of the Shas political party who served as the vice prime minister under Netanyahu from December 2022 to January 2023, has been convicted of corruption twice.
In 1999, he was convicted of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust; in 2022, he faced charges for tax offences.
He served nearly two years in prison for the first conviction. For the second, he signed a plea deal in 2022, resigning from parliament to avoid prison.
Despite this, PM Netanyahu appointed him interior and health minister, and the parliament passed the so-called “Deri Law” in 2022 that would limit the Supreme Court of Israel’s ability to review the “reasonableness” of government decisions.
In 2023, the Supreme Court disqualified him from serving as a minister on grounds of “extreme unreasonableness” due to his conviction on tax evasion.
