It will come as no surprise that The Bibi Files by Alexis Bloom and Alex Gibney is an extremely well-crafted documentary. The two are highly regarded filmmakers, and the movie has been shortlisted for an Oscar in the documentary category.
The files referred to are the three criminal indictments on fraud, bribery, and breach of trust for which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is now standing trial. After years of legal delays, the trial has reached a critical stage as the defense presents its case. Netanyahu is now required to attend court sessions three times a week.
It will come as no surprise that The Bibi Files by Alexis Bloom and Alex Gibney is an extremely well-crafted documentary. The two are highly regarded filmmakers, and the movie has been shortlisted for an Oscar in the documentary category.
The files referred to are the three criminal indictments on fraud, bribery, and breach of trust for which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu is now standing trial. After years of legal delays, the trial has reached a critical stage as the defense presents its case. Netanyahu is now required to attend court sessions three times a week.
The Israeli leader is accused of taking bribes from billionaires that total hundreds of thousands of dollars, though he said he was simply receiving gifts from friends. He’s also on trial for conspiring with the publisher of one Israeli newspaper to use his influence to limit the circulation of another, in exchange for favorable coverage. Most egregiously, he’s accused of agreeing to regulatory changes worth hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of Israel’s largest telecoms company, in exchange for favorable coverage on one of its news websites.
The Bibi Files is at its damning best when presenting a compelling case on the veracity of the charges against Netanyahu and the impact his extraordinary battle has had on Israeli political life and national security, including the prosecution of the war against Hamas in Gaza over the past 15 months. Unfortunately, the film does not stop there.
The last part includes an analysis of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians and the war in Gaza, with a clear ideological bent. No attempt is made to present a balanced viewpoint. Instead, it becomes yet another vehicle for bashing Israel and Netanyahu. This is a great shame because this section does not do justice to the rest of the film.
Even if one wishes to broaden the concept of The Bibi Files beyond the legal realm—a legitimate approach—a balanced treatment would have included a number of other issues. If Netanyahu is to be held politically responsible for the catastrophic failures of Oct. 7, 2023, and forced out of office, as many in Israel believe he must, this writer included, he should also be given credit for his achievements—including the Abraham Accords and the military successes that followed Oct. 7.
His achievements have shifted the balance of power in the Middle East, with important ramifications not just for Israel, but for the Sunni states and the United States. Indeed, the entire Iranian-led Axis of Resistance, which Iran spent decades and billions of dollars building, now lies in ruins. Hamas has been virtually defeated as a military organization and weakened politically; Hezbollah has been severely mauled, with up to 80 percent of its mammoth rocket arsenal eliminated; Iran has been significantly weakened and is arguably more vulnerable today than ever before; and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria is at least indirectly the result of Israel’s military successes.
None of this detracts from Netanyahu’s failures, including the harm he has caused to Israel’s international standing. In the years leading up to the current war, Netanyahu refused to pursue a diplomatic solution to the Palestinian issue. He now refuses to take advantage of the dramatically changed circumstances and reach an accommodation. Above all, Netanyahu is guilty of waging an ugly battle against Israel’s judiciary, which has undermined the nation’s social and ethical fiber and shaken the very foundations of Israel’s democratic institutions. His policy legacy includes mainstreaming racist, misogynist, and ultranationalist parties by inviting them into his coalition.
Bloom and Gibney make extensive use of leaked footage from Netanyahu’s police interrogations. In doing so, they reveal Netanyahu’s character flaws and his rhetorical skills. In the film’s most arresting scenes, Netanyahu claims repeatedly that he cannot remember specific events described by police interrogators. We are all entitled to forget events that took place years ago, and the prime minister is undoubtedly a busy man, but his replies go well beyond the bounds of credulity.
In the film, Netanyahu’s closest friend from childhood, Uzi Beller, suggests that the Israeli leader has lost his moral compass. Other people tell the filmmakers that Netanyahu changed after the 2015 elections, which he won in an upset. That’s the moment when Netanyahu may have truly come to view himself as “King Bibi,” a moniker popularized by Time magazine years earlier. From then on, he appeared to have prioritized his own private well-being over the good of the nation. After corruption charges were filed against him in 2019, he seemed willing to do anything to avoid prison time.
These ulterior motives seem to drive the ongoing war in Gaza, even after Israel’s primary objectives were reached as early as January 2024. The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last October might partly vindicate Netanyahu’s decision to continue fighting. Still, it seems incontrovertible that he has prolonged the war to serve his personal interests and manipulated the hostage issue for his own political benefit. The degree of political and personal cynicism he exhibits is extraordinary—and reprehensible.
The film also features video clips of police interrogating Netanyahu’s wife Sara and his son Yair. Both are known for their hardline positions and their commitment to keeping Netanyahu in power indefinitely and themselves safely ensconced in the premier’s residence. His wife is deeply involved in his political and policy decisions, as well as appointments of senior officials, while his son is responsible for much of the political bilge issued by Netanyahu’s online information operation. Their encounters with police are belligerent. In one particularly galling exchange, his son says that the investigators are part of a “police state,” “mafia,” “successor to the Stasi,” and, most remarkably, “almost the Gestapo.”
With Israel’s recent military successes in Lebanon and elsewhere, Netanyahu is now rising in the polls and it is no longer inconceivable that the man responsible for the policy and security failures that led to Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 might be reelected once again. The crucial question is whether his old nemesis, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, runs in the election and manages to sideline Netanyahu. A hostage deal would cap Netanyahu’s resurrection and possibly push him into the electoral promised land. It would not be surprising if he called early elections to this end.
Still, Netanyahu would continue facing corruption charges. Notwithstanding the broad, no-holds-barred campaign being waged by him and his aides against the judiciary, including Israel’s Supreme Court itself, the country’s judicial system is probably strong enough to prevail and deliver a just verdict, whatever it may be. Criminal cases are based on a defendant’s state of mind and intent, and we will have to rely on the judges, possibly the appellate judges, to arrive at the truth. Based on the footage in The Bibi Files, the verdict is clear.
