Word: legalism
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein spared Netanyahu and Hanegbi but said his office had made no decision on Lieberman and was considering an indictment against Deri for extortion, obstruction of justice and fraud. Why Netanyahu got off the legal hook may be partly explained by chief prober Sando Mazor. He conceded in a covering letter that much of the evidence against Netanyahu came from just one "central witness," who, Israeli press reports say, is Dan Avi-Yitzhak. He was a strong candidate for Attorney General and also happened to be Deri's trial lawyer until Deri forced the Bar-On choice...
...Israel's legal system presumes innocence, but in politics there's no such protection. If Netanyahu had become the first Prime Minister ever to be indicted, he would probably have been driven from office, even though the law does not require that he resign. The Knesset could impeach him with 80 votes of the 120 members or could force new elections for parliament and the post of Prime Minister with a simple majority...
Even without legal charges, Netanyahu must wage a fight for survival in the court of public opinion. As he always does when on the defensive, he counterattacked ferociously. While his closest aides floated accusations of police plots, leaks and a political vendetta to reverse the will of the electorate, Netanyahu appeared before the party faithful at Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv. "This government is not going anywhere," he roared. "We are staying in the place where the people and history...
Already the government is virtually paralyzed: the only business Netanyahu will be conducting for a while is that of defending himself. Efforts last week by U.S. envoy Dennis Ross to restore the peace process were thoroughly overshadowed by the scandal, and no one expects talks to resume while the legal and political maneuvering consumes Israel's attention. A tainted Netanyahu will be more dependent on his right wing, making agreements with the Palestinians that much harder...
...landmark talks began shortly after the tiny Liggett Group struck a separate deal with 22 state attorneys general last month, breaking ranks and opening the way for the tobacco industry to put the legal onslaught--and $600 million in annual legal fees--behind it. "These cases were a gun to their heads," says John Coale, lead counsel for a coalition representing 60 law firms suing tobacco companies, who has been participating in the talks. "Now the industry has to prove its good faith...