Netanyahu to speak in Orange County

Eron Ben-Yehuda

NEWPORT BEACH -- Controversial former Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu will be making his first visit to Orange County in

February when he is schedule to speak at Temple Bat Yahm.

Netanyahu, the Middle Eastern nation’s youngest leader, ended his

three-year term in office after losing in the May elections to current

prime minister Ehud Barak.

Community interest in what Netanyahu has to say has been “overwhelming”

even before tickets went on sale this month, said Rabbi Mark S. Miller,

who leads the temple congregation.

Many people are eager to hear his conservative opinions about the current

peace negotiations with Syria and the “thorny” issues surrounding the

Palestinians’ quest for a sovereign state, Miller said.

“He is a most articulate, knowledgeable and forceful exponent of the

right-of-center view, which represents many people in Israel,” Miller

said.

Netanyahu’s appearance at Temple Bat Yahm at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 is part of

promotional tour for his new book “A Durable Peace: Israel and It’s Place

Among the Nations.”

Many praise him for taking a tough stance on peace and security, but

others criticize him for stalling the peace process. Some say Netanyahu,

in an effort to maintain his power, deepened the divisions in Israeli

society by pitting secular and religious Jews against each other. But

Miller said Netanyahu wasn’t the first, or the last prime minister to do

so, especially because religion is intertwined in the politics of the

Jewish state.

“Playing the religion card is inevitable,” he said.

Controversy continues to dog Netanyahu even after he left office. An

investigation is under way into whether he accepted illegal gifts during

his tenure.

Police raided his home in October and reportedly found boxes of pictures,

gold and silverware that officials suspect were given to Netanyahu while

he was prime minister. Under Israeli law, such gifts are state property.

He also was reportedly questioned over a bill for $100,000 in contracting

work at his private residence. A contractor in Jerusalem is suspected of

giving bribes in exchange for favors and presenting inflated bills for

work he carried out for Netanyahu, who didn’t pay him.

Tickets for the engagement are $50 for reserved seating, $25 for general

admission and $18 for students and seniors 65 and older. The temple is at

1011 Camelback St., Newport Beach. For more information, call Temple Bat

Yahm at (949) 644-1999.