Israelis Cry Foul on U.S. Cash Influencing Their Election
(Bloomberg) -- In a Tel Aviv storefront, 84-year-old volunteer Zelda Harris is working the phones for the V15 group trying to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. billionaire S. Daniel Abraham, founder of Slim-Fast Foods Co., is helping to fund the effort.
Across the country, men and women in red jumpsuits hand out free copies of Israel Hayom, a pro-Netanyahu daily. The paper is financed by American gambling tycoon Sheldon Adelson.
Critics are concerned that cash from overseas donors will affect next month’s vote. “I would like to see foreign money out of Israeli politics,” said Hebrew University of Jerusalem political science Professor Menachem Hofnung. “Legally, it would be very difficult to do” because “you can’t stop people from funding certain ideas,” he said.
The law prohibits foreigners and Israelis living overseas from donating directly to candidates’ campaigns in the general election. The influence wielded on the public by a daily newspaper or a privately-funded organization can’t be quantified.
While foreigners have been active in Israeli elections for the past two decades, the issue has assumed a higher profile this time.
more...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-08/u-s-flow-of-funds-to-influence-israel-election-spurs-foul-cry
= new reply since forum marked as read
