Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday evening that he is filing a defamation lawsuit against former Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon.
The lawsuit, dubbed by Israeli media as “QatarGate,” comes in response to accusations by Ya’alon that Netanyahu has been promoting the Qatari government in exchange for gifts.
Such accusations against the prime minister are not new; Netanyahu is currently testifying in an Israeli court to fend off another such claim. Multiple similar claims in the past have been debunked and the cases all dismissed.
“The people are yawning because they know it’s a fake,” Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language video message released Tuesday night. (English subtitles available)
“The fruits of the cases are not keeping up with the pace of the cases being resolved. I sued Bogie Ya’alon for this despicable lie that he spread as if I received something from Qatar.”
“This campaign of threats of corruption does not concern me. We are not afraid of threats against me and my family. We’re not impressed by this. We all know where this comes from,” Netanyahu added.
“I won’t stop; I’ll keep doing whatever is necessary for the safety of us all.”
