Last week was busy at the Old Ship Hotel in Brighton. Two hundred people had gathered there, one dressed as Marie Antoinette, the other as chambermaid. On the table are chandeliers decorated with pearls, cakes, champagne and etagères with macarons. Waltz is heard in the background Godfather. No, this is not a Coppolafans convention, but a protest against the Netanyahus. Sara Netanyahu attended the first statements of key witnesses in the fraud case against her husband, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The reason why the trial took place in England? The key witness, Arnon Milchan, did not want to come to Israel for examination because of his poor health. He last visited his homeland in 2016 and did not return after police questioned him there about his ties to Netanyahu.

“Shame on you,” the demonstrators shouted at Sara Netanyahu. The cake on the table refers to a cake Sara baked in 2020 in a video that has gone viral. The champagne, jewelery and other luxuries represent the gifts the Netanyahu family will receive, and the music is supposed to remind the audience of the couple’s luxurious life.

On the table are candelabras, cakes, champagne and etagères lavishly decorated with macarons

If there was a way for the Jews to protest, it would look something like this. It looks like a seder with all that symbolism. Instead of arguing with the media, which we often see in Powned films in the Netherlands, the protesters explained to journalists in great detail why they were here.

Code word

The lawsuit is one of three cases currently pending against Prime Minister Netanyahu, case number 1000. Netanyahu and his wife are accused of accepting expensive gifts from Israeli film producer Arnon Milchan and his friend, billionaire James Packer. Milchan produces American blockbusters, incl Beautiful Woman, JFK, Fight Club And 12 Years of Being a Slave. He allegedly made gifts in return for favors from Netanyahu, including using his contacts to extend Milchan’s US visa. The prime minister also proposed a law allowing new immigrants or Israelis who have lived abroad for long periods of time to enjoy tax exemptions on income earned abroad for ten years. Milchan has certainly benefited greatly from the law, which the Knesset passed in 2008.

In his statement, Milchan acknowledged that code words had been agreed that would allow Netanyahu to request certain gifts. He saw the prime minister as a good friend. When she saw Netanyahu walking into court in Jerusalem via Zoom, he greeted her with “Shalom, Bibi.” Moments later, prosecutor Liat Ben-Ari complained about the behavior of Sara Netanyahu, whom she accused of humiliating Milchan. The witness promised never to see him again and joked that the situation would fit into a good movie or TV show.

Sheftim

In short, even in court it was a spectacle. If Netanyahu is found guilty of the charges, it will be bad for the international reputation of Israeli politicians, especially when it comes to integrity.

A Parshah that reminds me of this and that reflects the expectations many people have of Israeli politics is Shoftim. The Tora section will only be read in August, but it is a summary of the ethics of a rule of law nation. The first paragraph tells that Moses commanded the Jews to appoint judges and officials of their tribe, to rule the people fairly, impartially, and without bribes. The following is one of the most famous phrases from the Torah:Tsedek tsedek tirdof”: justice, justice, that’s what you have to fight for.

Those words are often used in the context of activism, but that’s not what I mean in this case. I see it as a reference to the paragraph that preceded it. In essence, what we all stand for on these important issues is impartial justice.