'<b>What he did was outrageous</b>': Ron Lauder, once Netanyahu's closest confidant, speaks out
Haaretz · Michael Hauser Tov ·
As far back as 30 years ago, billionaire Ron Lauder saw the prime minister putting his own political future ahead of Israel's. Now, he is determined to sound the alarm and wake up the Israeli public before it's too late | An interview
Ronald Lauder has never lived in Israel. But in the past year the Jewish billionaire, who serves as president of the World Jewish Congress, has given up his remaining properties in the country, a sign of the deep shift in his views of its future. A deep sense of disgust appears on his face as he recounts this. "I've sold my apartment in Tel Aviv, I gave my home in Be'er Sheva to the Jewish National Fund, of which I'm also the chairman. I basically cut my ties there. Because it has become so…," Lauder grimaces, making a gesture of vomiting.
'What He Did Was Outrageous': Ron Lauder, Once Netanyahu's Closest Confidant, Speaks Out
Ronald Lauder at his home in Manhattan. "Your fathers and your grandfathers fought for this place, and you lost it because of foolishness." Credit: Emil Salman