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חשיפה: שגריר ישראל בלונדון דניאל טאוב הוחזר ארצה בגלל פרשה מינית – ביטחונית
Tonight, Tikun Olam breaks the story of the Israeli ambassador who cheated on his wife with men and boys–inside the ambassador’s residence!
Israel’s former ambassador to the UK has been accused of inviting men and boys for trysts late at night when his wife was not home. A British policeman filed a complaint with Israeli authorities about the incidents. A further investigation by the foreign ministry’s inspector general found that UK-born Ambassador Daniel Taub, who was ambassador from 2011-2015, violated security protocol by not notifying his chief of security of the identity of the visitors. The purpose of recording visitors is in order to prevent Israeli diplomatic personnel from being blackmailed or compromised. Since MI5 knew of Taub’s activities, the Israeli foreign ministry was concerned that he might be compromised by them or that one of his paramours might attempt to extort payments from him.
Diplomatic security is provided by the Shabak, which would be aware of the incident. But my attempts to elicit comment from an Israeli security source were met with silence. Though the story has been reported in the Israeli media, no one has yet identified Taub by name. This is peculiar because there is no judicial gag order against reporting his name. This is one hot potato!
When questioned about the matter, Taub claimed he had never invited a minor into the residence. He added that the visitors were all adults and that their purpose was “therapeutic” (!) in nature. Though none of the Israeli reports have spoken outright of sexual activity, how could there not be?
When asked to explain why the police officer would claim minors entered his residence if that wasn’t the case, Taub claimed that he and the policeman had exchanged words and the officer had been offended by something the ambassador had said to him.
For some odd reason, Taub’s explanation satisfied the Inspector General and the investigation was suspended. But when Taub requested that his posting be extended, the foreign ministry refused and he was summoned back to Israel. That’s why Mark Regev, Bibi Netanyahu’s foreign media spokesperson was recently appointed to take up this post.
Officials in the government see Taub’s behavior as a grave violation of “ethical-moral norms” (!). As a result, a report of the incident was noted in Taub’s personnel file. The former ambassador was slated for promotion but his candidacy for any of these positions had been delayed while a deeper investigation is undertaken.
It’s a good thing the Queen knew nothing of Taub’s proclivities when she had this conversation with him when he presented his credentials to her on taking up his new post:
…The Queen asked him how it felt to be serving as ambassador in the land of his birth. He replied: “I said that I felt tremendously privileged that it fell to me to raise my children in their historic homeland after two millennia of exile, but I am also aware that in that arc of 2,000 years the greatest period of opportunity for my family was found here in Britain, and I hope to express my appreciation for that by deepening ties of cooperation between our countries
Who knew what sorts of “opportunities” he had in mind?
Back in 2011, when then foreign minister appointed Taub, there was a furor among the ranks of the diplomatic corps, since he was a junior official who’d never served overseas in any capacity nor supervised a diplomatic staff. Critics of the appointment said that Lieberman ran his ministry as a local branch of Yisrael Beitenu, rewarding his cronies and pals. The appointment seems to have been blessed by Lieberman’s then number-two, Danny Ayalon. If only the complaints had been heeded, so much scandal and embarrassment could’ve been avoided.
According to Haaretz’s Amir Oren, Bibi Netanyahu, who is the acting foreign minister, knew of the Taub scandal last summer. The prime minister was more concerned with closing the lid on the incident rather than getting to the bottom of it. He feared it would tarnish both the foreign ministry’s and his own reputation.
In fact, Oren says after Taub returned home, Bibi nominated Taub to take up a highly sensitive, senior foreign ministry position. Though Yediot’s report said that any promotions have been put on hold. The Haaretz reporter also says that Netanyahu’s legal advisor has not objected nor has the Shabak raised its voice regarding the matter. Apparently, it’s par for the course in this corrupt, lawless government.
What’s all the more startling is that Taub is an Orthodox Jew, married and has six children. He appears to be gifted intellectually and attended Oxford, wrote a well-regarding TV show about relations between secular and Orthodox Jews. Before his appointment, he was a junior advisor in the legal affairs unit of the ministry. Though I’m not privy to information about his personal life, it appears this is an example of the repression of such sexual impulses which is almost guaranteed by an Orthodox upbringing, as homosexuality is a grave sin among traditional Jews.
Unfortunately, the Israeli diplomatic corps has been prone to many similar scandals over the past few years. I reported here that Israel’s ambassador to Norway, the late Druze poet Naim Araidi, had made improper sexual advances to one of his Norwegian house staff. She reported this to Israeli authorities, who recalled Araidi from his post. In that case, the Norwegian press took up my reporting and published the story in the local press. I am seeking British journalists who will do the same in this case. Araidi, who was in his 50s, died three months ago after a short bout with cancer.
A few years ago, Israeli consul general, Aryeh Scher, was found to be part of a pedophile ring operated by an Israeli expatriate, George Schteinberg. The latter was arrested. But the Israeli managed to spirit himself out of the country in order to avoid a serious embarrassment to Israel. The foreign ministry permitted him to return to diplomatic service, shipping him off to Australia, where presumably he’d move to molesting Australian children. Australians weren’t too keen on the idea and raised a stink, causing Scher to withdraw from consideration.
I only learned about all this after Schteinberg tweeted to me that my mother was a “whore” and that he would like to “piss” on my grave. Though Twitter has made a big show of banning hate speech and abuse in its Twitter feeds, it refused to take any action regarding Schteinberg’s tweets. Perhaps it bans hate speech when the media takes notice and embarrasses them. Otherwise, this policy appears not to be enforced. Schteinberg’s Twitter profile features a picture of him with little children on his knee holding candy and various presents he appears to have offered them. Twitter appears to have no problem with accused pedophile flaunting their proclivities in their Twitter profiles.
Daniel Taub was the legal advisor to the foreign ministry, quite a senior posting and often a jumpboard to ambassador jobs.
@ Aryeh: That’s not what the foreign ministry staff said when they complained about his appointment. Nor do you appoint someone to as important as posting as the UK with no previous ambassadorial experience. Did you read the link I posted? I have a feeling you didn’t. If so, you should.
Never heard so much nonsense in my life. Worth checking the facts before publishing + poor translating from Hebrew article which was then told to be incorect
@ Fake facts: what precisely is wrong or incorrect with my translation? I warn you that unless you support yr claims you will be moderated or banned. Also, who has claimed or proven the report “incorrect?
[comment deleted: Try that anti-Semitic crap again & you’ll be banned.]
That’s what these people do.
yes they do seem to don’t they ? Pretty sure that the security services are involved and there is a whole blackmail thing going on too, but hey: Janner, Brittan, the whole Epstein thing including Prince Andrew, Clinton etc etc.
If only someone would spill the beans.
You left out Alan Dershowitz – isn ‘t he also involved in that scandal? More than anyone
else, I sooo wish he got exposed and tarred & feathered!
Seems a very feeble attempt at a smear. The Ynet article makes it clear that the investigation by the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed any claim about involvement of a minor and the matter was only one of not following security arrangements properly when inviting visitors. The Walla article citing complaints with Daniel Taub’s appointment concludes with the words of senior Foreign Office officials pointing out that those complaining were the sort of people who expected to get appointments based on length of service and not ability. Anyone from England would tell you that Taub was the ideal candidate who performed excellently in the role.
@ Robin: That’s is a complete distortion of both articles, which make clear that while the inspector general suspended his investigation, it has been reopened & this is preventing him from being granted any promotion. They also make clear that the charges were confirmed by British authorities & his security detail.
If the charges were unfounded as you claim no one would be reporting this story. I know Amir Oren’s reporting to be far more rigorous & credible than Taub’s word.
An ambassador invites men & boys to his residence after hours & you say his service is “exemplary??” That’s shocking.
“The prime minister was more concerned with closing the lid on the incident rather than getting to the bottom of it”
An interesting choice of words.
@ Barbar: I had to read your comment ten times before I figured it out. You naughty (& quite silly) boy!
“You naughty (& quite silly) boy! ”
So true.
Nonsense. The article from Ynet states that the matter was dealt with and the investigation completed.
@ Robin Stamler: No, that’s not what the article says. It says the ministry inspector general investigated and closed it. But the matter is being investigated now more thoroughly & any promotion for Taub is being delayed because of the investigation. You read Hebrew quite selectively.
More misrepresentation of the article. Kindly translate for me the concluding words of the article from the Foreign Ministry
ממשרד החוץ נמסר בתגובה: “נערכה בדיקה ונמצא כי היה מדובר בחריגה מנוהלי ביטחון. הנושא טופל ומוצה”.
@ Robin Stamler: Kindly read today’s headlines & you’ll see that regardless of the inspector general’s dropping of the case, the promotions committee which included Bibi crony, Dore Gold, found he could not be promoted due to the charges against him. They would not do so if there wasn’t substantial reason to believe he’d be a huge embarrassment if appointed and the charges were later publicized.
I do love the sound of: “Accused pederast appointed as ministry’s chief legal advisor.” It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Maybe as opposed to you, they thought that headline would be a trifle tough to overcome…
Oh & why should I take the inspector general’s word that there was no criminal offense in this case? The system is fixed, the books are cooked. Taub is a golden boy & no one, not even the inspector general will impede him. Except me. I don’t like people who abuse their position & power no matter who they are.
Another hasbara liar, hell is real and you will burn in it forever
The ynet article claims that Taub was accused of breaching security protocol by letting unregistered men into his quarters. There was a single allegation by a policeman regarding one minor, which was dismissed for lack of proof – with Taub claimed to have been a personal vendetta. There is not even the slightest hint of anything sexual. Therefore, your headline is misleading at best and outright deceitful at worst.
@ Michael: Nope. If you read Peter Beaumont’s article out today in the Guardian you will find that the policeman reported his observations to the Shabak security detail, which warned Taub repeatedly. He ignored the security warnings & continued with his behavior. After which Shabak reported this to the ministry and he was recalled. The charge that the policeman had a personal vendetta is as credible as the “visitors” coming for “therapeutic” visits.
As for misleading & deception, the only one here doing that is yourself. You are engaged in self deception.
While I am not in a position to evaluate the veracity of this article it seems unsurprising the degree of impunity that seems increasingly commonplace among elites nowadays. Whether it is having illegal or non-consensual liasons with minors or people who are in a subordinate position, or lying through one’s teeth as Mark Regev has been doing about violations of Geneva conventions and of basic human rights really makes very little difference. The fact is that we now have elites around the world who are so rich and powerful that they can get away with almost anything in full public view (Trump claiming he could shoot someone dead on Times square and get away with it, or Cameron and the infamous pigs head). Name and shame is OK, but what we really need to do is hold these people accountable for the real damage they have caused and are causing. Apparently diplomatic immunity is being severely abused by some and the judiciary are being lenient beyond any notion of justice or law and order. This will go on until the people take matters into their own hands. Our governments are in on it, so don’t expect much action there!
What a vicious and unsubstantiated article. The writer has simply put together a bunch of unproved and unfounded speculations and stated them as facts whilst glossing over the one true fact: that the man whose life and reputation are being ruined has been exonerated.
Daniel Taub was a superb ambassador for Israel. a highly respected diplomat who throughout his career has never had a single hint of scandal associated with his name.
The paragraph about Orthodox Jews is anti-semitic blood libel of the most classic sort. In the modern climate of Jew / Israel bashing it sadly doesn’t surprise me that the writer is getting away with it, but it none the less appals me.
I suppose the next thing we will hear is it can’t be anti-semitic because the writer is himself Jewish. However it is possible to suffer from self-hate!
I suppose my comment will now be removed and I will be banned for writing further on the matter.
@ Alison Adams: Poor Alison. Would you now like to eat crow given that both Haaretz & the Guardian have outed Taub and outlined some of the charges against him??
You missed my point.
What anyone does in their private life which is consensual and legal is fine by me. It was your sensational and slanderous headline I objected to.
The Ambassador was cleared of any criminal activity therefore no minors were involved. Period. Anything else is not our concern.
And yet you made it yours.
So I ask myself – are you by any chance a homophobe?
(You aren’t going to publish this, are you?)
@ Alison: You’re lying. A UK policeman reported he was visited by boys numerous times. What an inspector general claims is hardly relevant since he’s not truly independent in the sense that a U.S. inspector general would be. Nor can an Israeli inspector general determine whether Taub engaged in criminal conduct. The inspector general can’t judge whether Taub violated British law. He can only judge whether he violated Israeli law. And he probably ruled that since the acts occurred in the UK, that no violation of Israeli criminal law occurred. You see it’s easy to find a way to get to a conclusion you’ve reached before even opening an inquiry.
The inspector general who closed his case was essentially overruled by political operatives who were loyal to Bibi, when they denied him his promotion. So no, he hasn’t been cleared. And I’ll take the world of a British Bobby over a bought & paid for MFA employee any day.
Nothing in what I wrote was homophobic. Now you will prove this absurd disgusting claim or I will ban you.
You’re damn straight I’m going to publish your rubbish, then ban your ass. But I’ll give you one hour before I do. You either prove I’m homophobic, withdraw your claim, or you’re gone.
Oh & btw, can you show me anything you’ve ever written that supported gay rights? Whether you have or not I’ll compare your record of support for gay rights to mine any day of the week. Mine goes back decades and is public record, how ’bout yours?
Not to mention the absurdity of your leveling that charge against me in defense of an Israeli Orthodox Jew who’s closeted and may be using male prostitutes. If there’s a homophobe here it’s Taub himself who’s denying his own nature for the sake of cultural or religious conformity.
First you accuse me of anti-Semitic blood libel, now homophobia. You throw a bunch of spaghetti on the wall & hope some of it sticks. That’s pretty much your approach. But nothing sticks because everything you write is pure rubbish.
Calm down Alison. This is the passage about Orthodox Jews. (You can easily replace ‘Jews’ with ‘Christians’ or ‘Muslims’ by the way, as orthodox denominations in all three religions share that attitude towards homosexuality):
” Though I’m not privy to information about his personal life, it appears this is an example of the repression of such sexual impulses which is almost guaranteed by an Orthodox upbringing, as homosexuality is a grave sin among traditional Jews.”
And this is…anti-semitic blood libel?!!
I know that the blood libel charge is extremely popular, but this is really a stretch.
@ Elisabeth: She couldn’t make the “anti-Semitic blood libel” charge stick so now she’s accused me of homophobia. What an absurd person!
A sad reflection on the world we live in where a writer with no substantiated evidence is allowed to write an incendiary and slanderous article that can ruin the lives of a whole family.
Not a substantiated fact in the whole piece – just innuendos and speculations that seek to discredit the conclusion of official and respected sources that THE AMBASSADOR IS INNOCENT!
And I thought the press was supposed to be the champion of the falsely-accused?
@ Pamela Levene: Poor Pamela. Today’s news cycle proves you wrong:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/04/senior-israeli-diplomat-was-repeatedly-warned-over-london-security-breaches
http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/.premium-1.2842016
Palestinians have to actually have their people massacred and land thieved from you sick souls. Should Never should have been given an inch of Palestine. Period.