(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is either an upstanding man with a certain moral decency and a renowned attention to detail, whose only interest is in defending his nation – or a skilled liar with a selective memory who demands 'gifts' from wealthy friends that go towards expensive champagne, cigars and tasteless diamond jewelry for his wife Sara, but who also goes so far as to arrange positive press coverage from friends who owe him favors.
To hold on to power
Alexis Blooms The Bibi Files — a nearly two-hour, gripping documentary that had its world premiere at Doc NYC and was released in theaters in the UK and Ireland and on streaming platforms — does little to convince viewers of the former. For Bloom and his three-time Emmy Award-winning producer Alex Gibney, ‘Bibi’ — Netanyahu’s nickname used by supporters — is a liar, guilty of cheap and vulgar crimes like using friends to live beyond his means with his aggressive (and in the documentary heavily implied) wife, who drinks heavily.
The producers say they have yet to sell the film in the United States, where the slightest criticism of Israel is now routinely conflated with anti-Semitism.
Drawing on previously unpublished video footage of leaked Israeli police interviews with Netanyahu, his wife, friends and associates since the corruption case against him was initiated five years ago, The Bibi Files Netanyahu's path to power as Israels longest-serving prime minister, for a total of 17 years spread over several terms. It argues that Netanyahu’s personal fear of being found guilty and sent to prison – as other Israeli politicians convicted of corruption have done in the past – has driven him to ally with far-right government partners. This has drawn him into devastating wars against Hamas and, in Lebanon, against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The police videos show a man claiming to remember almost nothing – at one point an investigator exclaims in frustration that “90 percent of the time you say you don’t remember!” – while also condemning other witnesses the police bring in – he refers to them as “liars.”
Netanyahu is largely calm during police questioning, while his wife Sara—whom Bloom says Bibi is afraid of—is aggressive and confrontational. So is the couple’s eldest son Yair, who calls the police “Gestapo” and “Stasi” agents. If anyone else had publicly compared the Israeli police to Nazi Germany’s vicious secret police, they would likely have been condemned as anti-Semitic.
Safety hazards
The Bibi Files based on interviews with Netanyahu's oldest friend, Uzi Beller (who is now a leading critic), former political advisors, top investigative reporter Raviv Drucker (who is also one of the film's producers), housekeepers, a former assistant to the US-based former arms dealer turned film producer, Arnon Milchin – a close friend of the Prime Minister – and others. Bloom is aware that some will call the film antisemitic, and the producers say they have yet to sell the film in the United States, where the slightest criticism of Israel is now routinely conflated with anti-Semitism.
“The film is clearly not anti-Semitic or anti-Israeli,” says the director. “All the people interviewed in the film are Israelis, and except for one, they are all Jewishe. They are all critical of Netanyahu – and if you believe the polls, so are 70 percent of the Israeli population.”
Bloom weaves a story of classic political corruption.
Pointing out the dangers Netanyahu poses to the security of ordinary Israelis is not anti-Semitic, he insists. “Netanyahu has been terrible for Israel’s security and for the security of the region. You have to be able to criticize Netanyahu without it being portrayed as anti-Semitic. He is not Judaism. He is not Israel.”
Bloom weaves a story of classic political corruption, where a greedy and shameless couple enjoying the good life seek to enjoy the benefits they see their wealthy friends and associates having. Bibi's story is not just about corruption, but about a man whose ego has grown to the point where he sees himself as a sort of King David figure leading the Jewish people to salvation. But the pressure of the corruption allegations has, he claims, pushed Netanyahu further to the right, leading him to form a coalition with a couple of extremists – Itamar Ben Gvir, a settler who wants the Palestinian territories in their entirety, and who is now the Minister of National Security, and Bezalel Smotrich (Finance Minister), who is seen in the film telling members of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, that "there is no such thing as the Palestinian people."
He is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The Hamas attack on Israeli settlements on October 7, 2023, which triggered the current Israeli war against them and which has cost the lives of more than 49 Palestinians (and more than 000 Israelis, including those killed on October 1500), had contributed to massive destabilization in the Middle East. The rescue of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 is cited as the reason why Israel began its devastating attacks on Gaza and other Palestinian territories. The families of the hostages who have been fighting for more efforts to save their loved ones have received little support from people like Smotrich. Moreover, Sara Netanyahu's support appears to have been transactional – she demands recognition for helping them, Bloom's film shows.
Endless war
The 'endless war' that Netanyahu has launched appears to be aimed at keeping him out of prison. But repeated calls to postpone his trial – and attempts to exert political control over Israel's judiciary – have led to nothing.
On December 10, Netanyahu became the first prime ministersomeone who is being tried for corruption: He is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and is to testify three times a week – despite the Gaza war and the ongoing unrest in the Middle East. Including neighboring Syria, where the Israeli air force took advantage of the overthrow of Bashar al-Asaad to destroy the country's military forces and war material with almost 500 bombing raids.
For Netanyahu, it will be like this The Bibi Files shows us, another opportunity to deny everything and call everyone else a liar.
