JERUSALEM (AP) – After a series of embarrassing reports about Israel’s first family, an investigative journalist has become a particular target of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Raviv Drucker of Channel 10 TV has been a longtime thorn in Netanyahu’s side, exposing several scandals about the Israeli leader. In return, Netanyahu has berated him, sued him and even reportedly tried to get him fired.
But Drucker has kept at it, and two of his recent stories have triggered police investigations.
First, he broke the story that Netanyahu’s personal attorney had represented a German company involved in a $1.5 billion sale of submarines to Israel, raising questions about the prime minister’s possible involvement.
Then, he reported that Australian billionaire James Packer has lavished Netanyahu’s college-aged son, Yair, with gifts that included extended stays at luxury hotels in Tel Aviv, New York and Aspen, Colorado, the use of his private jet and dozens of tickets for concerts by Packer’s former fiancee, Mariah Carey. Packer, who also owns a home next to Netanyahu in the prosperous coastal community of Caeserea, is reportedly seeking Israeli residency status for tax purposes.