Israel PM Dismisses New Charges

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is nothing to a second police investigation into corruption charges.

Netanyahu has been questioned twice already about allegations that he improperly accepted lavish gifts from high-profile figures in international business and Hollywood. Local media have reported that the second affair involves Netanyahu being caught on tape negotiating mutual benefits with a high-powered media mogul.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, portraying the accusations as a witch hunt against him and his family by a hostile media. Netanyahu told ministers from his Likud Party Sunday that "there will be nothing, because there is nothing."

While the probe is still in its infancy, a mounting investigation could imperil Netanyahu's lengthy rule. Should Israel's attorney general decide to indict him, Netanyahu could be forced to step down.

(KA)