Benny Gantz and corruption

Is Benny Gantz corrupt? If he could be, should you vote for him?

Many in Israel damn Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a crook. They won't vote for him in the up-coming March 2, 2020 national election. They know he's going to trial March 17, 2020 for corruption and other, related  crimes. They ask, why should they vote for him when he could go to jail?

These critics have been damning Netanyahu since the first 'he looks like a crook' - style headlines began to appear more than two years ago. Even back then, these critics refused to consider Netanyahu innocent until proven guilty. If accused, their thinking went, he must step down immediately from being PM. They said, to protect democracy, he mustn't receive a democracy's basic human right--the presumption of innocence. Accused, they said, he's guilty. Period.

Should Benny Gantz be held to the same standard? This isn't a hypothetical question. It's real.

You see, once Gantz retired from the military in 2015, his leadership experience focused on developing a company called, Fifth Dimension. That company went bankrupt less than three years later, in December, 2018. That's the month, by the way, Gantz also declared he was going to start another endeavor: a new political Party, which he did.

 After failing in business, he decided his next career stop should be Prime Minister of Israel.

In March, 2019, Israel's State Comptroller's Office reported that it had "castigated" Israel's police for (having previously) signed a 50 million dollar contract with Gantz' Fifth Dimension--without entertaining proposals from any other company. This was a violation of existing business acquisition regulations for the police. In addition, the State Comptroller also "castigated" the police for attempting to sign this contract without any effort to request those offers--another State regulations violation (here). In addition to to these two violations, the State Comptroller also found that Fifth Dimension had given to the police false information about its operations (ibid). 

Specifically, Fifth Dimension was reported to have told police it had been formed in 2012, when that was untrue; that it had an already-developed product, when that was untrue; and that the company had five customers, all of whom were security organizations--when that was not true; Fifth Dimension had zero customers (ibid). 

Fifth Dimension advertised itself as creating artificial intelligence solutions for law enforcement agencies (here). While there may be reason to say that its failure as a business had more to do with a failure to raise sufficient capital (here), the State Comptroller's Report suggests that the company's activities may have been illegal nonetheless, as noted above.


Israel's State Comptroller's Office also "faulted" police for having included Gantz in contract talks (ibid). This is an especially damning piece of information because it cuts off any future attempt by Gantz to say he knew nothing about any false presentations during contract talks: he was right there, in real time. 

In a statement issued at that time (March 2019), Gantz said that this report was about police conduct, not his own conduct (ibid). His own conduct, he added, was "unimpeachable" (Ibid). 

Really?

If the above Comptroller's report is correct, Gantz's professing his "unimpeachability" could be wrong. The report puts him at contract talks. How did he deal with those false statements from his Fifth Dimension (above) when sitting in front of police officials? 

Those who seek to invest millions of dollars with you aren't stupid. They want to know if you can deliver, especially if you're new at what you do, as Gantz was. They look at what you've written to them--and if you are the boss--they look to confirm with you what the company had earlier put into writing. 

In March 2019, there was , inexplicably, no investigation initiated into Fifth Dimension. But last week, Israel's Attorney General's office announced that enough evidence had indeed been gathered about  that company's business activities that a criminal investigation was warranted. Inexplicably, that investigation won't begin until after the election (here). 

At the moment, Gantz himself is not a suspect, just as Netanyahu is not a suspect in at least one corruption case. Yet, Netanyahu's 'corruption' could pale compared to Gantz': Netanyahu took cigars and champagne; Gantz received at least 4 million dollars of taxpayer money from the police by lying about Fifth Dimension--and if he himself didn't lie, someone on his staff did.

Every top army officer learns that the proverbial "buck" stops with him. That is,  he's always responsible for the actions of those who serve under him. Will he now be held responsible for lies by underlings?

Gantz is s cheduled to be questioned by the AG's office. This will create difficulties for Gantz because he's already spent a lot of time blasting Netanyahu (before and after indictments were handed down) for being associated with corrupt actions undertaken by people under his leadership. Now, Gantz has his own 'corruption' associations.  

How will Gantz respond? Will he  continue to claim his actions were "unimpeachable"? Or, will he withdraw from the election, as he had repeatedly demanded that Netanyahu do over his accusations of corruption?

If Gantz has the ethical standards he wants us to credit him with, shouldn't he recuse himself from running for office in this election, so he can spend his time dealing with the criminal investigation licking at his heels. After all, that's what he's said about Netanyahu. Surely, what's good for Netanyahu is now good for Gantz, isn't it?

What a choice Gantz forces upon Israel's voters: suddenly, he's no longer 'Mr. Clean'. Instead, he's just another Israeli politician, close enough to corruption to be considered tainted goods. 

Gantz can't just wiggle out from under this corruption investigation. He can't claim he 'knew nothing'. He was present during contract talks.

Regarding the corruption that took place under his nose, what did Gantz know, and when did he know it? Regarding his participation in the election, why should he escape from what he's so aggressively demanded of Netanyahu--that is, to step down immediately?

Remember, it's been Gantz who's been demonizing Netanyahu for corruption during this entire 11-month-long-three-election-process. He's done an effective job attacking Netanyahu: judging from online reader comments to political stories from Israel, a certain number of voters believe him when he phrases what he's said about Netanyahu's investigations to make himself look like the better PM choice. 

How does he look now? With this new corruption 'shoe' now on his own foot, how squeaky clean does Gantz look? And by the way, if you argue he should be considered innocent until proven guilty, I say, no, he shouldn't be. He's never given Netanyahu that benefit; why should we give it to Gantz?

Why should we vote for him when he could go to jail?

The March 2, 2020 elections: Israel's election system is broken

Israel's next national elections are now just thirteen days away. Latest polls indicate that voter sentiment hasn't changed since the first two elections that have preceded this election. That is, once again, both Netanyahu and Gantz still poll at almost equal number of Knesset seats won, with--at the moment--Gantz ahead by just one or two seats (here). As with the first two elections, such a result means that both Netanyahu and Gantz once again will probably be unable to form a government, should one of them win the upcoming March 2, 2020 election (here). 

That means--should this stalemate happen--that yet again, Israel will be deadlocked (ibid). Once again, Israel will be left without a democratically-chosen government. Worse yet, this circumstance would also mean that Avigdor Liberman, with perhaps no more than eight Knesset seats (less than 7 percent of the Knesset) to his name, will apparently remain 'the king-maker'. 

If  Liberman does get to play 'king-maker', Israel might not get a leader chosen by the majority of its voters. Instead, Israel could end up with a minority politician (Liberman) with few enough votes to be able, under normal circumstances, to exercise much influence over anyone, actually ending up with the power to make the voters' choice for them. 

Seems to me like Israel's entire election system will have to be overhauled. One good reason for such an overhaul is cost. Each national election costs Israel something like a billion+ shekels. This third election--if it ends in a a deadlock-- will have meant more than 4.5 billion invested into a 'losing game'. 

Israel's taxpayers aren't so rich they can long afford to invest that kind of cash into something that continues to fail. Perhaps Israel would be better off with a simple, 'vote-for-the-man-you-want-to-be-leader' method of selection, as is done in the US. 

Certainly that would be fairer and more 'democratic' than the 'Rube Goldberg' system (overly complex plan created to get a simple result) Israel now uses. It would certainly be cheaper. 

Besides, Israel's current election system isn't the most 'Democratic' way to elect a new leader. It leaves the final choice for leadership not dependent upon a final vote-count of all of Israel's voters, but upon the negotiation skills of a few normally unpopular politicians (if these politicians were popular, they'd get a lot more than 7-9 seats in an election). Is this how Israel wants to govern itself?

How many unworkable elections will Israel need to endure before voters decide to change? How many unpopular politicians will grab the reins of power from voters' hands before Israel decides to change?

Indeed, how many future Libermans must take charge of  Israel's voting booth before Israel decides to change?

Enough is enough.

Abbas brings peace and an intifada to the UN?

Today, February 11, 2020, Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmmoud Abbas plans to appear at the UN to present his own "peace" plan (here). But he also plans to unleash at the UN a diplomatic war (an intifada) against the Trump Plan--and Israel-- on the same day he talks of his "peace" plan! (ibid).

What does this man want, war or peace? If he wants peace with his enemy, why create a 'diplomatic war' against that enemy?

is this war-peace concept Abbas' plan? It might be.

This plan can be seen as having four parts which, altogether, would give Abbas--if it worked--the strongest anti-Israel, anti-Trump foundation possible to push his own ideas at the UN. It could also suggest that his "peace" plan is a blueprint for the destruction of Israel--in diplomat disguise.

Here are the four elements of this plan:

-Part One began February 8, 2020, at an Arab League meeting. There, Arab League members voted unanimously to support Abbas by rejecting the Trump Peace Plan (here). It gave Abbas a self-protecting argument to fight the Trump Plan: all Arabs reject this Plan; how can you ask me to accept it? 

-Part Two was first reported in Israel the next day (February 9th). According to Israel's channel 13 news, the PA had announced it would now bring ever more lawsuits against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC)--supported , the PA statement said, by "international lawyers" (here, ibid).

This was no accident. It seems that one mostly unreported portion of the Trump Plan was a specific provision that required the PA to drop all lawfare lawsuits against the Jewish state (here). This Part Two call for  more such lawsuits at the ICC was Abbas' way to signal he wasn't about to give up one 'arrow' in  his war 'quiver' against Israel--not for peace, at any rate. 

Part Three was to be a pro-Palestinian, anti-Trump UN Security Council Resolution. This Resolution, to reject and condemn the Trump Plan, was to be presented--and passed by the UNSC--today, February 11th.

Then, as the triumphant capstone to this four-part plan, Abbas would stand up later today at the UN to make a speech in which he would begin by touting his newest victory--the UNSC's rejection of the Trump Plan--and continue with his own ideas about what the world should do about the Arab-Israel conflict--ideas he would present on the world's biggest stage, the UN, for all to see. 

At first blush, the plan appeared to be a well-planned assault against those (Trump, Israel) Abbas chooses to hate. Except for one thing. Abbas didn't get enough support (or, at least, enough early support) from the UNSC to present today his 'we-reject-the-Trump-Plan' Resolution. Rumors (which may not have been rumors at all, but fact (here)) circulated late yesterday that Abbas had to withdraw his Resolution--out of a fear of being "humiliated" by a UNSC rejection of his call for condemnation of the Trump Plan (here, ibid). 

This is where we stand late morning, February 11, 2020, with Abbas. He's already spoken of an "intifada" at the UN and of peace in the same breath (here). What kind of madness is this? It's a madness, I would bet, many at the UN will cheer or applaud.

While in his home-city, Ramallah, Abbas incites violence (after the Trump Plan was announced on January 29, 2020) (here). It's his way of responding to the Trump Plan ; and  now he will now bring ideas for peace-with-an-intifada to the UN? 

This is no man of peace. This is a man of violence against peace (here).

As I write this, it's just before noon, Israel time, February 11, 2020. Reports here in Israel say Abbas is scheduled to give his speech at the UN at 5pm today, Israel time. 

We ask, will this speech suggest a plan for a Palestinian peace that is based on international diplomacy forcing Israel to destroy itself by, for example, having to allow some 4 million Palestinians to be repatriated back into Israel as part of a final peace resolution to the Arab-Israel conflict--or will it outline a different path? 

What will he say? What "peace' talk will we hear from him?

Stay tuned. 

Here is the Palestinian's counter-proposal to the Trump Peace Plan

Now that the Trump Peace Plan has been around for a couple of weeks, we've gotten a chance to see how Israelis and Palestinians have reacted to it. Here's a hint about that reaction: the two sides couldn't be more different.

In Israel, Jews are taking the Plan seriously. They're discussing its pro-and cons. 

For example, in Israel, there's talk of Jewish 'sovereignty' (here). That is to say, there's talk of annexation--for and against (here and here). There's even talk of implementing the Plan, after real negotiations have taken place (here). 

Certainly, Jews have what to say about this Plan--and they're not afraid to express an opinion (here).  The Plan has been everywhere--on Israeli TV, on radio talk shows and in the nightly news.

Many in Israel like this Plan. They believe the time has come for both Israel and the Palestinians to talk seriously about it (here).  

Then again, many in Israel are against the Plan. They see it as a "Peace trap" that won't in the end help Israel (here).

Actually, these differences might not matter. This is Israel, remember. This is the place to go when you want to argue over something, especially "peace". The main point is, Israelis are talking--and thinking--about Trump's ideas.

What do we see from the Palestinian Authority? Are officials there giving this Plan a hard, serious look? Are they discussing it? Are they debating it's pros and cons?

Well, they're certainly discussing it. But the Palestinian discussion looks nothing like the Israeli version of "discussion". You see, in the PA, there is no real "discussion" at all. There's no debate.

In the Palestinian Authority (PA), you'll find only a singularly uniform reaction--complete rejection. Leaving no doubt as to who's in charge in the PA, Palestinian leader Mahmmoud Abbas has taken an active  'leadership' position on this Plan. He's already called it not 'the Deal of the Century', but the 'Slap of the Century'--and he's continued to stick to that description. 

His spokespeople have been even more blunt than that. For example, one official has said that, as a reaction to the Plan, the PA might just vote to dissolve itself--perhaps to "punish" Israel by making Israel become the sole 'adult in the room' for looking after the 'Palestinian people' (sic) (here). Fatah officials (Abbas is President of Fatah) have joined with other PA anti-Israel organizations to declare a 'Day of Rage' against the US and Israel (here). Then, Abbas declared he's going to cut all ties with both the US and Israel, to highlight his 'dismissal' of the Plan (here).

To make sure there'd be no misunderstandings whatsoever about his response to Trump's Plan, Abbas described his response as, "no, no, no, a thousand times, no" (here). He said, the Trump plan "will not come to pass". Our people, he bragged, "will send it to the dustbin of history" (ibid).

Did you get his message? Do you understand what he's saying?

To top off this rejection, all members of the Arab League--including even those Arab countries which have recently shown a warming trend towards the Jewish state--voted unanimously to support Abbas. They voted to reject the Trump Plan (here). 

This vote is generally seen as a "win" for Abbas (ibid). Or, looking at this Arab League vote a different way, it's a win for continuing the Palestinian rejection of any chance of economic  prosperity for the Palestinian people. It's a win for continuing both poverty and misery for the Palestinian people (here). 

In place of this Trump Plan proposal, Abbas offers, you will notice, no Peace counter-proposals of his own. He offers nothing.

He offers no compromise solutions to the questions of how to deal with Jerusalem as a capital city, or how to deal with some 700,000-800,000 Jews in the 'West-Bank" (including the eastern portions of Jerusalem). He offers no concessions as to how, exactly, to situate 'two states for two people living side-by-side in peace and security'. He offers nothing to counter-balance the "peace-offerings" of the Trump Plan for economic cooperation and the massive US support for the PA Trump has promised. Abbas suggests no ideas of his own for economic arrangements or security arrangements or political/diplomatic arrangements. He offers no willingness to negotiate with Israel--or the US--in any way other than with his, 'it's my way or the highway', approach.

He isn't interested. 

Instead, Abbas will only discuss arrangements of his own making. These arrangements are simple.There's only one "negotiation" for Peace--the same as it's always been. It's a negotiation process that begins with Abbas saying, 'here's what I demand. If you don't agree, these negotiations have ended, period".

Neither Israel or the US is interested in that. Can you guess why? Abbas would leave Israel with no state.

Meanwhile, back in Israel, Israelis are still talking. Both Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main political rival in the up-coming March 2020 national elections (Benny Gantz) have expressed interest in it. Jewish leaders of Judea-Samaria have met with Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu about it (here). Politicians on both the Left and the Right have either stood to support it (this, mostly from the Left) or to speak against it (mostly from the Right). Israelis are certainly engaged by this Plan.

Not so in Abbas' Palestinian Authority. From the PA, we don't hear discussions about any peace plan. Instead, we hear calls to condemn it. For example, PA officials call this plan "the filth of the century" (here), not the "Plan of the Century"; and, in speeches especially, officials claim that to accept this plan is treasonous; that is, any Palestinian who talks to Israelis about the Plan will be labelled a traitor (here).

Now Abbas gets set to go before the UN with his own, self-designed counter-proposal for "Peace". It's his  big Plan, his big moment. 

His idea is simplicity itself. He's going to the UN to unleash a "diplomatic intifada' against Trump, the Plan, the US and Israel (here). 

He won't give up. He won't back down. 

He's serious. If he has to, he will destroy both the US and Israel at the UN to protect his upcoming (at the UN) counter-proposal for "peace" in the Middle East.


Stay tuned. This movie has just begun.