Israeli mayor who was ex-attaché to UK arrested over corruption claims

A former Israeli military attaché to Britain who is now the mayor of a northern Israeli city has been arrested and questioned on allegations of corruption.

Zvi Gendelman, who served at the Israeli Embassy in London between 2003 and 2006, was detained on Monday morning over suspected bribery, corruption and tax-fraud allegations in the city of Hadera, where he is mayor.

He was immediately suspended by his political party, Yesh Atid, which has repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a series of police investigations into him and his wife.

Gendelman was one of four arrested by Israel’s anti-fraud unit on Monday morning, the police saying the suspects “illegally utilised their role in order to advance the interests of others”.

The former diplomat served in an elite Israeli naval unit, later becoming a tank commander before being made Brigadier-General, commanding troops in the Lebanon War. He took responsibility in 2000, when Hezbollah kidnapped IDF troops, becoming Israel’s military attaché to Britain three years later.