Bibi and his cigars: I am sure he didn't inhale!

Of course, only a millennial wouldn't recognize the reference to inhalation. Besides, one doesn't usually inhale cigars' smoke anyway. It is a bit different with champagne, though.

To preempt the obvious questioning: no, I am not happy with the charges of bribery as described in a very general way in this article:

The gifts the Netanyahus received—such as cigars, champagne and jewelry—were given over the course of about a decade, reaching a total of about NIS 1 million—NIS 750,000 in gifts from Milchan and about NIS 250,000 from Packer, according to the police.

And:

According to the police, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth owner and publish Arnon Mozes discussed mutual assistance to promote one another's interests during private meetings that began in 2009 and lasted for several years.

Nope, I am not happy about it, unless in my own general way of cynical suspicion toward any and all politicos out there. The words of Peter the Great that could be roughly translated as "Every superintendent should be hanged after three years of service without investigation and without trial" ring now as true to me as at any other time.

The main reason I am unhappy about is that the political scene in our smallish place is devoid of people who look half able to take over that thorny and sleepless job. There are a lot of mice and no men*. Not that Bibi is... but I am diverting from the main subject.

At the end of the day, no matter what his other transgressions are, Bibi confesses to taking the above mentioned cigars, champagne etc. And no matter what will the final decision of Attorney General be (we'll have to wait for it quite a long time, several months at least) - the law forbids a person in Bibi's position to receive gifts of any kind - even a movie ticket.

No matter whether the whole caboodle will come to trial or, moreover, the trial will end in a conviction: this behavior stinks to high heaven. As does the wall-to-wall support Bibi receives from the coalition parties.

This, to remind you, in a country where one PM (Itzchak Rabin) resigned because a foreign account in his name, containing about $10,000, was discovered.

And another PM (Menachem Begin), who, aside of other stuff, is remembered for this:

His family lived in a one bedroom flat on Rosenbaum street in Tel Aviv the entire time he was in the opposition, a period of almost three decades.

And his three rooms flat in Jerusalem...

Just go, Bibi.

(*) "Men" in this case applies (but not limited) to cisgendered men and women as well as to all 70+ known genders.