Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow on Jan. 29, 2018.

Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP file</s>TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed he would be vindicated Tuesday moments after police recommended that he be indicted on charges of corruption and bribery.

"This will end in nothing," a defiant Netanyahu declared after police made the announcement.

A police spokesman, however, said their case against the longtime Israeli leader is solid and based on — among other things — interviews with some 80 witnesses.

They charge that from 2007 to 2016 Netanyahu and his family received cigars, champagne and jewelry worth "hundreds of thousands of shekels" from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and other supporters.

In return, Netanyahu pushed for the so-called Milchan Law, which ensures that Israelis who return to live in Israel from abroad are exempt from paying taxes for 10 years.

"The findings of the investigation revealed that the relationship between the prime minister and Mr. Milchan was a bribery relationship that amounted to a criminal offense and not an innocent relationship between friends," the police spokesman said.

"Bibi," as he is known, is also accused of working out a deal for favorable coverage with Arnon "Noni" Moses, the publisher of an Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, in exchange for backing a bill that would weaken a rival newspaper.

Now that police have made the recommendation, the decision on whether to indict Netanyahu rests ultimately with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. Both Milchan and Moses also face possible bribery charges, the police spokesman said.

Mandelblit, 54, is Netanyahu's former cabinet secretary and has already rebuffed calls to recuse himself from this case.

While no stranger to scandal, this is the first time Netanyahu faces the possibility of being formally charged with a crime. But it could be a year before that happens.

First, the police recommendations have to be vetted by a tax attorney in the AG's office, a process that could take about three months. That lawyer's conclusions then go to State Attorney Shai Nitzan for a review, which takes about a month. Nitzan will then hand the case off to Mandelblit, whose review is likely to take another three months.

If Mandelblit decides to indict Netanyahu, he would be required to appear at a closed hearing sometime around February 2019.

The police recommendations came more than a year after Israeli news media first reported thatNetanyahu had been grilled by police investigators for more than three hours at his official residence on suspicion of receiving illicit gifts and favors from wealthy donors.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Netanyahu once again called the charges "baseless," and said, "I'll continue to lead Israel responsibly as long as the people of Israel elect me."

Taking a page from his ally President Donald Trump, Netanyahu also went on the attack against the investigators.

"The police is infected with hallucinated allegations, the police can’t be objective," he said. "I’m sure that the attorneys will find that nothing i did was incorrect."

But a former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, said Netanyahu should consider stepping down.

"These are difficult and sad times," Barak said on social media. "The picture emerging from the police recommendation is chilling. The depth of corruption is staggering."

"Netanyahu should declare himself incapacitated tomorrow morning, and the Likud party needs to decide who will replace him," Barak added.

Netanyahu, 68, who is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister and his fourth overall, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He even leveled a public broadside last week against Israeli Police Chief Roni Alsheikh, who is leading the investigation.

After Alsheikh told Israeli television that "powerful figures" had hired people to "sniff around" the detectives working on the Netanyahu case, the prime minister accused him of saying "delusional things."

Earlier, after Netanyahu was questioned by police, he tweeted, "There won't be anything because there is nothing." He also decried "years of daily persecution against me and my family."

But Netanyahu and his family's luxurious lifestyle — often at taxpayers’ expense — has come under scrutiny before.

Five years ago, Netanyahu was criticized for reportedly spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin for a five-and-a-half hour flight to London for Margaret Thatcher's funeral. That came just months after the Netanyahu family's taxpayer-funded food budget included $2,700 for artisanal pistachio and French vanilla ice cream.

Goldman reported from Tel Aviv, Siemaszko reported from New York</s>Police in Israel on Tuesday recommended that Benjamin Netanyahu, the longtime prime minister, be indicted on charges of corruption and bribery.

The move came two months after Israeli media first reported thatNetanyahu was grilled by police investigators for more than three hours at his official residence on suspicion of receiving illicit gifts and favors from wealthy donors.

"Bibi," as he is known to Israelis, is also accused of working out a deal for favorable coverage with the publisher of an Israeli newspaper called Yediot Aharonot in exchange for backing a bill that would weaken a rival newspaper called Israel Hayom.

"Police have concluded is that there is sufficient evidence against the prime minister on suspicions for the offense of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust," a police spokesman said in a statement listening the alleged offenses.

Now that police have made the recommendation, the decision on whether to actually indict Netanyahu rests with Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Mandelblit, 54, is Netanyahu's former cabinet secretary and he has already rebuffed calls to recuse himself from this case.

Netanyahu is no stranger to scandal. But this is the first time he faces the possibility of being formally charged with a crime.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Netanyahu once again called the charges "baseless" and said "I'll continue to lead Israel responsibly as long as the people of Israel elect me."

The 68-year-old Israeli leader, who is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister and his fourth overall, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Netanyahu even leveled a public broadside last week against Israeli Police Chief Roni Alsheikh, who is leading the investigation.

After Alsheikh told Israeli television that "powerful figures" had hired people to "sniff around" the detectives working on the Netanyahu case, the prime minister accused him of saying "delusional things."

Earlier, after Netanyahu was questioned by police, he tweeted: "There won't be anything because there is nothing." He also decried "years of daily persecution against me and my family."

But Netanyahu and his family's luxurious lifestyle — often at taxpayers’ expense — has also previously come under scrutiny.

Five years ago, Netanyahu was criticized for reportedly spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin for a five-and-a-half hour flight to London for Margaret Thatcher's funeral. That came just months after the Netanyahu family's taxpayer-funded food budget included $2,700 for artisanal pistachio and French vanilla ice cream.

This is a breaking news story. Refresh for updates.</s>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018. (Ronen Zvulun, Pool via AP)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police on Tuesday recommended that Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted on bribery and breach of trust charges in a pair of corruption cases, dealing an embarrassing blow to the embattled prime minister that is likely to fuel calls for him to step down.

Netanyahu angrily rejected the accusations, which included accepting nearly $300,000 in gifts from a pair of billionaires. He accused police of being on a witch hunt and vowed to remain in office and even seek re-election.

"I will continue to lead the state of Israel responsibly and loyally as long as you, the citizens of Israel, choose me to lead you," an ashen-faced Netanyahu said in a televised address. "I am sure that the truth will come to light. And I am sure that also in the next election that will take place on time I will win your trust again, with God's help."

The recommendations marked a dramatic ending to a more than yearlong investigation into allegations that Netanyahu accepted gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer, and suspicions that he offered to give preferential treatment to a newspaper publisher in exchange for favorable coverage.

The recommendations now go to Attorney General Avihai Mendelblit, who will review the material before deciding whether to file charges. Netanyahu can remain in office during that process, which is expected to drag on for months.

But with a cloud hanging over his head, he could soon find himself facing calls to step aside. During similar circumstances a decade ago, Netanyahu, as opposition leader, urged then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign during a police investigation, saying a leader "sunk up to his neck in interrogations" could not govern properly.

In the immediate aftermath of the police announcement, reactions quickly fell along partisan lines.

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a bitter rival of Netanyahu, called on him to suspend himself and for the coalition to appoint a replacement on Wednesday morning.

"The depth of corruption is horrifying," Barak said. "This does not look like nothing. This looks like bribery."

But key members of Netanyahu's Likud Party rallied behind him. Cabinet Minister Miri Regev said she was "not excited" by the police recommendations and urged patience while the attorney general reviews the case.

She said the biggest surprise was that Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition Yesh Atid party, had been a witness. David Amsalem, another Netanyahu confidant, called Lapid a "snitch."

Lapid later issued a statement calling on Netanyahu to resign.

"Someone with such serious accusations against them, many of which he does not even deny, cannot continue to serve as prime minister with responsibility for the security and well-being of Israel's citizens," Lapid said.

In a statement, police said their investigation found sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu in the first case, known as File 1000, for accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust.

It said Netanyahu had accepted gifts valued at 750,000 shekels ($214,000) from Milchan, and 250,000 shekels ($71,000) from Packer. The gifts from Milchan reportedly included expensive cigars and champagne.

Police said that in return, Netanyahu had operated on Milchan's behalf on U.S. visa matters, legislated a tax break and connected him with an Indian businessman. It said he also helped Milchan, an Israeli producer whose credits include "Pretty Woman," ''12 Years a Slave" and "JFK," in the Israeli media market.

In the second case, known as "File 2000," Netanyahu reportedly was recorded asking Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the Yediot Ahronot daily, for positive coverage in exchange for promoting legislation that would weaken a free newspaper that had cut into Yediot's business.

Police said there was sufficient evidence to charge both Milchan and Mozes with bribery.

Channel 10 TV read a statement that it said came from Milchan's "defense team" saying the bribery charge would not stand. It said his relationship with Netanyahu went back to the early 2000s, before he became prime minister, and that the men and their families were friends.

There was no immediate comment from Packer or Mozes.

Netanyahu is one of President Donald Trump's biggest supporters on the global stage, and the police recommendations threaten to weaken Netanyahu as the White House works to prepare a Mideast peace proposal.

In his TV address, Netanyahu said that his entire three-decade political career, which included serving as Israel's ambassador to the U.N., a previous stint as prime minister in the 1990s and a series of Cabinet posts, was meant only to serve the Israeli public.

He acknowledged aiding Milchan with his visa issues, but said Milchan had done much for Israel and noted that the late Shimon Peres had also been close with Milchan.

He also said that over the years he had taken decisions that hurt Milchan's business interests in Israel.

"How can allegations be taken seriously that in exchange for cigars I acted for Arnon Milchen's benefit?" he said.

He said all the allegations over the years against him had one goal: "to topple me from government."

He said past scandals had all "ended with nothing" and "this time as well they will end with nothing."

As the police investigation gained steam in recent months, Netanyahu has claimed to be a victim of an overaggressive police force and a media witch hunt.

Netanyahu, who has been prime minister for nine straight years, and his family have become embroiled in a series of scandals in recent months.

Recordings recently emerged of his wife, Sara, screaming at an aide, while separate recordings caught his eldest son, Yair, on a drunken night out at a series of Tel Aviv strip clubs while traveling around in a taxpayer-funded government car with a government-funded bodyguard. The younger Netanyahu ended up spending the night in a luxury Tel Aviv apartment owned by Packer.

Netanyahu has said the scandals are all the work of media out to get him.

Associated Press writers Ian Deitch and Aron Heller contributed to this report.</s>Israeli police have recommended that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted on corruption charges, after police agreed last week there was sufficient evidence to charge him, Israeli media reported Tuesday.

Netanyahu responded to the reports in a live address Tuesday afternoon, saying he will continue to lead Israel and that the recommendations against him will “end with nothing.”

The nation’s prime minister since 2009, he could face indictment after a monthslong investigation into two separate allegations of corruption. The police findings will be examined by state prosecutors and the attorney general, which could take months, The New York Times reported.

In a first case, known as Case 1000, investigators have looked at whether Netanyahu accepted bribes from billionaire donors, including Israeli-born Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.

In Case 2000, Netanyahu faced claims he entered into a deal with the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in which he would receive favorable coverage in exchange for weakening a rival publication by restricting its circulation. Both the prime minister and the publisher, Arnon Mozes, have denied that the conversations, leaked in transcripts to the media, were serious discussions.

Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing in both cases. In a Facebook video published last week in response to news of the impending recommendation, the prime minister maintained his innocence and said the investigations would turn up “nothing.”

“Many of you are asking, what will happen? So I want to reassure you: There will be nothing, because I know the truth,” he said, according to a translation of his address. “I’m sure that at the end of the day the qualified legal factors will come to one conclusion, the simple truth: There is nothing.”

In a follow-up statement, also posted to Facebook last week, the prime minister criticized the investigation and claimed “a great shadow” had been “imposed tonight on police investigations in the matter of Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

“Any fair-minded person will ask themselves how people who say such delusional things about the prime minister can investigate him objectively and make recommendations in his case without bias,” he wrote.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said in August that if Netanyahu were to be indicted on corruption charges, he would not be obligated to resign.

Netanyahu is serving his fourth term as Israel’s prime minister, the second time he has held the position after formerly being elected to the office from 1996 to 1999.</s>Israeli police said there is “sufficient evidence” to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on criminal charges in two corruption cases.

A police statement said there was enough evidence to indict Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases.

Speaking on Israeli television, Netanyahu said the allegations were baseless and that he would continue as prime minister.

The allegations, he said, “will end with nothing”.

What are the cases?

One case centres on an allegation that the Israeli PM asked the publisher of a newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, for positive coverage in exchange for help in reining in a rival publication.

Police said the editor of Yediot Aharonot, Arnon Mozes, should also face charges.

In the second case, Netanyahu is suspected of having received gifts from businessmen overseas totalling 1 million shekels (Rs 1.8 crore), including cigars, champagne, jewellery and more, from 2007 through 2016.

The case has focused primarily on Netanyahu’s relationship with Israeli billionaire and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.

In exchange for the gifts, police say, Netanyahu tried to advance a tax break that would have benefited Milchan, though he was blocked by the finance ministry.

Police will now pass the evidence to the attorney general, who will make a decision on whether or not to indict the Israeli prime minister. That decision is not expected imminently.

By Israeli law, he is only required to step down if he is convicted and that conviction is upheld through the appeals process to the high court, a process that could take years.

However, he could face public and political pressure to step down much earlier.

His coalition partners, so far, have backed him, saying they will not take down the government over a police conclusion.

Netanyahu has lashed out, attacking the police, the media, the opposition and the left in rallies and on social media. He has often called the investigations against him “fake news,” echoing the language of United States President Donald Trump.

Image: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the allegations were baseless and that he would continue as prime minister. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images</s>Police investigating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have recommended to Israel’s attorney general that he be charged with bribery in two cases, Israeli news media reported on Tuesday.

 Netanyahu, who denies wrongdoing, has been questioned several times since the start of 2017. Police can make only a recommendation; the final decision to indict rests with the attorney-general.

Israeli media have reported that one of the two cases involves the receipt of gifts from businessmen and the other is related to conversations Netanyahu is alleged to have held with an Israeli newspaper publisher about limiting competition in the news sector in exchange for more positive coverage.

Police were due to make the official announcement over their recommendations at 8:45 p.m. (18:45 GMT) and Netanyahu was due to respond with a live televised statement minutes later.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>Israeli police said Tuesday they had recommended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu face charges for bribery, fraud and breach of public trust following long-standing investigations into two cases of alleged corruption.

Police issued a statement saying they had "sufficient evidence" to issue the recommendations, which now go to the attorney general for a decision on whether to pursue an indictment against the prime minister. The deliberations on whether and how to move forward are expected to take weeks or even months.

Soon after the news broke on Tuesday night, Netanyahu addressed the nation in a live televised address proclaiming his innocence, saying the police recommendations against him would "end with nothing".

"Over the years, I have been the subject of at least 15 enquiries and investigations," Netanyahu said.

"Some have ended with thunderous police recommendations like those of tonight. All of those attempts resulted in nothing, and this time again they will come to nothing."

"I will continue to lead Israel responsibly and faithfully," he added.

Known as Case 1000, the first allegations detail the “committing of crimes of bribery, fraud and breach of trust by the prime minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu”.

Police also named Arnon Milchan – a Hollywood producer and Israeli citizen – as well as Australian businessman James Packer in the accusations, saying that they “over years awarded gifts of various types” including champagne, cigars and jewellery to Netanyahu and his family. Netanyahu’s lawyers have said the presents were simply tokens of friendship and that no quid pro quo was involved.

In all, the gifts were worth more than 1 million shekels ($280,000), the police statement said.

The second accusations, Case 2000, also alleges “bribery, fraud and breach of trust by the prime minister” as well as by Arnon Mozes, the publisher of the biggest-selling Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. Police say the two men discussed ways of halting the growth of rival daily newspaper Israel Hayom “through legislation and other means”.

Netanyahu has long denied the allegations, and a prime minister facing such police recommendations – or who has been formally charged with offences – is not obliged to resign.

He is not the first Israeli prime minister to face corruption allegations. Ehud Olmert, who served as premier from 2006 to 2009, served 17 months in prison after being convicted of breach of trust and bribery in 2014.</s>JERUSALEM (AP) — The Latest in Israel after police recommended corruption charges against embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (all times local):

Benjamin Netanyahu's lawyer, Amit Hadad, says police recommendations of corruption charges against the prime minister are based on "false" statements.

Police said in a statement that Netanyahu had accepted gifts valued at 750,000 shekels ($214,000) from billionaire film producer Arnon Milchan, and in exchange Netanyahu had operated on Milchan's behalf on U.S. visa matters and helped Milchan with the Israeli media market.

Hadad told Israel Radio that the sums allegedly received by Netanyahu according to police were "inflated, incorrect, unfactual, and simply unacceptable."

Hadad says Netanyahu "didn't receive bribes at all. Not in a single day, not in a year, not at all."

He added that the "prime minister never acted in Milchan's benefit on any issue, except for one, that of the visa."

Israeli opposition politicians are calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign following police recommendations that he be indicted for corruption.

Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay says Netanyahu's coalition party allies need to choose between supporting the prime minister and upholding the rule of law.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, whose Kulanu party is crucial to Netanyahu's government, urged on Facebook that the attacks on police cease, saying the legal system should be allowed to operate "without pressure, from neither right nor left."

Meanwhile, Meretz party leader Zehava Gal-on said Kahlon, the finance minister, and also Education Minister Naftali Bennett — both key coalition partners — should "show Netanyahu the way out."

Ofer Shelah, a lawmaker with the opposition Yesh Atid party, says criticism of his party's leader Yair Lapid — a key witness in the case against Netanyahu — is "an attempt to divert the conversation from what happened."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies from the Likud party are rallying to his defense, a day after police recommended the attorney general indict him on corruption charges.

He said on Wednesday that police had committed "an illegitimate act here to attempt a coup d'etat in Israel."

He says "there are things that are forbidden to do in a democratic government and this is one of them."

Culture Minister Miri Regev said the gifts Netanyahu received from American billionaire Arnon Milchan that were cited in the bribery charge were merely "relations between friends."

Regev said in an interview with Israel Radio: "You're allowed to receive presents from friends. To talk about bribery, you've got to point to something that was really done, not just words."

She said there was no need for Netanyahu to step down.

Israeli police have recommended that Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted on bribery and breach of trust charges in two corruption cases.

The development deals an embarrassing blow to the embattled prime minister and is likely to fuel calls for him to resign.

Following the announcement late on Tuesday, Netanyahu angrily rejected the accusations, which included accepting nearly $300,000 in gifts from two billionaires.

He accused police of being on a witch hunt and vowed to remain in office and even seek re-election.

An ashen-faced Netanyahu said in a televised address: "I will continue to lead the state of Israel responsibly and loyally as long as you, the citizens of Israel, choose me to lead you."

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Last summer, Israeli police revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a suspect in a wide-ranging fraud investigation, and law enforcement had managed to turn a few witnesses. In what could have an impact on Netanyahu’s ability to remain in office, Israeli police have recommended that the country’s leader, known as Bibi, be charged with fraud, bribery, and breach of public trust.

Following a year-long investigation into corruption, Israeli police found evidence against Netanyahu in two high-profile cases:

Netanyahu is believed to have received over $300,000 over a period of ten years from said back-room deals. However and prior to the police declaration, Netanyahu appeared on TV to explain his conduct and lay to rest any speculation that he would leave office willingly. “I feel a deep obligation to continue to lead Israel in a way that will ensure our future,” he insisted. “You know I do everything with only one thing in mind … Only for the good of the state. Nothing has made me deviate, or will make me deviate, from this sacred mission.”

The process has a ways to go, but the ultimate decision of whether or not to charge Netanyahu lies with Israeli attorney general Avichai Mandelblit. However, the case could set a precedent in Israel’s Supreme Court, which has ruled previously that government ministers or their deputies cannot continue to serve after being indicted. Yet since this has never happened with a prime minister before, Israel would have to set a new legal standard to make it happen.
Israeli police recommend indicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with charges of corruption and bribery. Netanyahu calls the accusations "baseless".