Israeli Businessman Dudi Apple Breaks Silence on Legal Harassment and Frozen Billions

Dudi Apple, a prominent Israeli businessman and former political figure close to Ariel Sharon and Aryeh Deri, spoke out in a Channel 14 interview about the extensive legal investigations he has faced, which he attributes to political persecution due to his right-wing views. Apple revealed he has undergone 231 investigations over the years, linking them to a 1981 project where he evacuated 1,700 families without accepting state compensation, aiming to contribute to the country as an alternative to military service from which he was exempted due to injury.

Apple described severe pressure from the legal system, including threats of a 10-year prison sentence if he did not withdraw complaints against judges and prosecutors. He claimed the legal actions against him stem from disputes over financial arrangements related to the evacuation project and accused the prosecution of targeting him because of his political stance. Despite his past success as a contractor who built approximately 30,000 housing units and paid billions in taxes, Apple now lives modestly, with his assets worth billions frozen due to ongoing legal proceedings.

He defended former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's legacy and praised current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a "once-in-a-millennium gift" who saved Israel from the Iranian nuclear threat. Apple, now 76 and devoted to Torah study after his religious return decades ago, urged the judicial system to end what he termed a decades-long campaign of harassment against him and his associates, emphasizing that if there were real evidence against him, a single investigation would have sufficed to convict him.