Netanyahu's primary run largely financed by foreigners

Foreign donors has almost entirely bankrolled the primary campaigns of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leading right-wing politicians, data compiled by the regime's state comptroller show.

While donations from foreigners in party primaries are legal in Israel, Israeli parties are worried that wealthy non-Israelis might be wielding influence on its politics, according to Haaretz.

To retain leadership of the Likud party in last month’s primary, Netanyahu received donations from 29 individuals for a total just under $282,000.

Each payment came from the United States except for one from Spain and one from Germany.

According to the records, complied by all parties that hold primaries and audited by the state comptroller, about half of Netanyahu’s financing was provided by members of three wealthy U.S. families.

The largest donor, at around 179,000 shekels, was the Florida-based Falic family — the owner of Duty Free Americas, an international retail chain operating at Israel’s Ovda Airport.

At around 173,000 shekels came New Jersey’s Book family, which heads Jet Support Services, a provider of maintenance services for aircraft.

The Schottenstein family of Columbus, Ohio, which controls a retail empire including American Eagle Outfitters, donated some 157,000 shekels.

Past records show that all three families are longtime supporters of Netanyahu and donated to his 2012 primary campaign.