Israel Police seized 93 million shekels from the Menora insurance company during a raid in the 'Hand Shakes Hand' corruption affair, and an additional 90 million shekels from the company's executives, a police source called the combined sum unprecedented in the force's history. The executives are being questioned.
Tonight's development in the 'Hand Shakes Hand' affair gives the first precise seizure figures: Israel Police seized 93 million shekels from Menora's accounts and 90 million from its executives — a combined 183 million shekels that, a police source told N12, is unprecedented in the force's history. The company raided — Menora, one of Israel's largest insurers — and the separate executive seizure were both confirmed by that on-record police source by 19:01 Monday, adding detail to the earlier wave of reports.
The thread unfolded in rapid succession Monday evening. At 19:01 Jerusalem, multiple versions published nearly simultaneously: initial reports of tens of millions seized from a public company and its executives; then the company named as Menora; then a sub-case alleging bribery via insurance agent Ezra Gabai to influence Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David over a medicine policy; then the full breakdown of 93 million from the company and 90 million from executives, with a police source calling it the largest seizure in the force's history. These 19:01 dispatches moved from one newsroom sourcing (N12, journalist Adar Gitzis) to multiple outlets (N12, Channel 12), and from a general 'police source' to an on-record statement of unprecedented scale.
As The Zioneer reported on Mon 19:50 and 19:57, the combined seizure figure had already been noted as unprecedented. The wider 'Hand Shakes Hand' probe into the Histadrut union — whose chairman Arnon Bar-David has faced allegations of corrupt ties to union executives and companies — remains ongoing, with executives now being questioned. The Zioneer previously reported (Thu Jul 2, 21:07 Jerusalem) that the Histadrut had allegedly doubled its advertising spending to 18 million shekels since the affair broke, a move critics called a PR campaign using workers' funds.
What remains open: whether the executives under questioning will be charged, and whether the seized funds will be released or forfeited pending trial. The police source has not elaborated on the specific offenses suspected, aside from the bribery framework described in the sub-case.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake