An Israeli hi-tech firm has decided not to renew a contract with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu because it believes he may be returning to political life, a newspaper reported Monday.
Netanyahu got a job as an advisor to BATM Advanced Communications about a year ago following his crushing defeat in elections in May 1999 to Ehud Barak. But the company has decided not to renew his contract when it expires at the end of September, the Yediot Aharonot newspaper said.
BATM, a company based near Tel Aviv, declined to comment on the story.
Netanyahu is widely believed to be planning a political comeback although his future hinges on a decision expected this week by Attorney General Eliyakim Rubinstein on whether to press charges for alleged fraud and corruption.
The former right-wing leader and his wife Sara are suspected of keeping gifts presented to him when he was prime minister between 1996 and 1999, in violation of Israeli law, and for promising a Jerusalem contractor he would be paid out of the public purse for work done on their private home.
Recent opinion polls have indicated that Netanyahu and Barak enjoy a similar amount of support among voters in the race for the prime ministership, but show Netanyahu ahead of current Likud party leader Ariel Sharon – JERUSALEM (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
