Posted on: Feb 21, 2022 at 2:44 am.
Last updated on: February 21, 2022, 02:46 am.
The Israel National Lottery (Mifal Hapayis) withdrew its advertisement from a popular TV channel after alleging that former Mossad director Yossi Cohen was having an affair with a married flight attendant, Haaretz claims.
Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen denies having an affair with a married flight attendant and openly discussing sensitive information related to his work with her and her husband. (Image: Times of Israel)
Lottery chairman Avigdor Yitzhaki admitted to the Israeli newspaper that he had pressured Channel 13 executives not to air the investigative documentary Hamakor (The Source). But he denies cutting ads to penalize the broadcaster.
TV station sources told Haaretz they don’t believe him.
After it aired in December, a planned meeting between Channel 13 and the Lottery to discuss advertising for 2022 was hastily cancelled.
Hamakor claimed Cohen, who headed the Mossad under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until June 2021, shared sensitive information with the flight attendant and her now ex-husband Guy Striker.
“Blabbermouth” spy boss
The latter, who was interviewed by documentarians, described Cohen as a “chatterbox” who boasted about his Mossad activities to the couple. These allegedly included intelligence chasing an Arab leader’s doctor and Cohen posing as an Arab tour guide in undercover operations.
Cohen has denied the affair and disclosed state secrets.
Yitzhaki, a Cohen associate, said he met with Channel 13 owner Reshet CEO Avi Ben Tal ahead of the broadcast to urge him not to direct it.
“Since when has the media here been dealing with this kind of tabloid crap, bullshit?” Yitzhaki asked Ben Tal, according to Haaretz.
Yitzhaki was told that no news organization in the world would relay this kind of information.
Now Channel 13 is feeling the pinch. Before airing, the Lottery allocated 36.4 percent of its TV advertising budget to Channel 13, the second most popular channel in Israel, and 53.4 percent to Keshet 12, the most popular.
But in the two months since it aired, 90 percent of spending has gone to Keshet and only 2 percent to Reshet.
The Lottery is one of Israel’s biggest advertisers, and Yitzhaki pressed Channel 13 at a time of financial trouble. Over the summer, the station had to lay off 42 employees, including prominent journalists, technical staff and editors.
Netanyahu corruption allegations
Yitzhaki was appointed lottery chief by Netanyahu, who faced corruption charges in November 2019. Netanyahu was ousted from power in June 2021, facing criminal charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
He is accused of accepting gifts from Australian casino mogul James Packer and his associate, former Mossad agent and Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.
He is also accused of attempted press manipulation. This reportedly included Netanyahu promising the head of Israel’s largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, that he could persuade another casino boss, his friend the late Sheldon Adelson, to slash the circulation of a rival Adelson-owned newspaper. According to prosecutors, this was the case when Yedioth Ahronoth agreed to quash his criticism of Netanyahu.
Israel Police are also investigating several allegations against Cohen, including that Packer illegally gifted him $20,000. He also reportedly received free tickets to a concert by Mariah Carey, Packer’s fiancée at the time.
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