Netanyahu
The Israeli Prosecutor General’s Office has indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of bribery and fraud. The charges concern the Israeli prime minister’s alleged acceptance of property benefits from the telecommunications tycoon Shau Elowicz. Netanyahu answered by claiming that police and prosecutors were engaged in a conspiracy to remove him from power and that he does not intend to resign.
”This day is very sad and difficult. Today, I presented my decision to the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and his lawyers. I brought three charges against him. The day when the General Prosecutor’s office charged the Prime Minister of serious administrative crimes that are corrupt in nature is a sad day for the entire Israeli society and for me as well.
We established that the Prime Minister committed those crimes contained in the indictment. These are very serious charges. It is a very serious matter when a state official regularly receives many presents worth hundreds of thousands of Israeli shekel”- says Avichai Mandelblit, Israeli Prosecutor General.
”We’re witnessing a coup d’état on the basis of a fake investigation. I won’t let the lie win. I will continue my duties with full responsibility, dedication and caring about the safety and future of all of us”- says Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
Congress
The Sixth Congress of the ‘Gazeta Polska Clubs’ from the United States and Canada has begun in Orchard Lake, Michigan, with the participation of the president of the Gazeta Polska clubs, Ryszard Kapuściński and the editor-in-chief of the Gazeta Polska newspaper, Tomasz Sakiewicz.
This is a large-scale event. Many guests from Poland are going to be there, among others, Antoni Macierewicz, Ryszard Czarnecki, Adam Kwiatkowski. There are many people who have something to say about Polish and international matters. But above all, there are representatives of the Gazeta Polska clubs. We laid wreaths at the Katyn and Smolensk memorials. We have to remember that there is a context of this meeting. Apart from the meeting of the Polonia representatives, there is the upcoming US presidential election. Meetings like this concerning these important matters show the strength of Polonia”- says Tomasz Sakiewicz, editor- in- chef of The Gazeta Polska newspaper.
Merkel in Auschwitz
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to visit Auschwitz, the former Nazi death camp, for the first time in her 14 years in office. The Munich daily newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, reported on Thursday that Merkel has accepted an invitation to attend the 10th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation to be held on 6th December. Merkel’s office confirmed that a visit is planned but declined to specify the precise date as her appointments are generally announced only a week in advance.
Testimony of the ambassador
The hearings before the United States Congress intelligence committee regarding the impeachment procedure against US President Donald Trump, initiated by the Democratic Party, are continuing. Yesterday, the US ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, testified in front of the committee. However, as before, his testimony did not provide the Democrats with clear evidence that President Trump had abused his power in relation to his dealings with Ukraine.
In the investigation of the Ukrainian scandal, the President of the United States is accused of putting pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky to launch an investigation in his country against Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden his likely Democratic Partyrival in next year’s presidential election. The Democrats want to prove that the president made the implementation of the investigation a condition of granting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military assistance to Ukraine which had been previously approved by the American Congress.
One of those who were questioned was Laura Cooper, the deputy secretary of defense, who testified about the suspension of almost $ 400 million in aid for the security of the government in Kiev as part of the pressure put on President Zelensky.
The next to be questioned was Gordon Sondland, a millionaire and donor to the Donald Trump campaign, and US ambassador to the European Union. Sondland said he received requests from Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudi Giuliani to make an agreement with Kiev. He added, however, that he had never spoken to Donald Trump in person.
Sondland also described the issue of e-mail exchanges between the US and Kiev authorities, which were known of by the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US Vice President Mike Pence.
President Trump continues to refute the Democrat allegations, suggesting that the matter is expected to influence the results of the 2020 election.
The basis of the impeachment procedure implemented by the Democrats against the president is the accusation that he abused power and compromised national security in his relations with Ukraine.