Disclosed: Weissglass Maintains His Business and Law Firm

In December 2002, Israel Resource News Agency publicized the fact that Dov Weissglass the office manager and the long time private law counsel of the Prime Minister, was still listed in the Israel Corporate Registrar as the owner and operator of his law firm, Weissglass-Almagor.

This finding was publicized in the weekly newspaper, Makor Rishon.

That law firm in the past represented the financial interests of the PLO, through Muhammad Rashid, the treasurer of the PLO appointed by Yassir Arafat.

That same law firm currently represents prominent Palestinian business interests, such as the Palestinian casino company which is in part owned by Jibrl Rahoub and by Yassir Arafat.

According to the Palestinian tourist publication THIS WEEK IN PALESTINE, plans are under way to build a new Palestinian casino and resort for tourists in “Southern Gaza”, where the Jewish communities of Katif now reside.

In January 2003, the spokesman for the Israel Civil Service Commission affirmed the finding that Weissglass was indeed still registered in the Israel Corporate Register as part of that law firm, but dismissed its importance, since Weissglass has divested himself from all financial interests in the firm.

The Israel Civil Service Commission did ask that Weissglass go through the formal process of removing his name from the firm.

A check with the The Israel Corporate Authority in April 2003 showed that Weissglass’s name had indeed been removed from the law firm in the Israel Corporate Authority and provided a document from the Israel Corporate Authority to prove it.

However, it now seems that Weissglass is still registered as the lawyer of record for two other firms that bear virtually the same company name, located the same addresses and with the very same lawyers.

One of these law firms where Weissglass is still is a business with a wide mandate to engage in local and international business.

The other firm where Weissglass is active is, indeed, a law firm that is also called Weissglass Almagor

On May 11, 2004, the spokesman for the Israel Civil Service Commission wrote that Weissglass had divested himself of his law firm and had sold the shares of his business.

Upon examination of the publicly available corporate records of Weissglass business, there is no record of any attempt of Weissglass to divest from either this business.

A spokesman for the Israel Prime Minister said that Weisslglass has not been active in his law firm or in his business since entering office in April 2002

The facts speak otherwise.

Questions remain: How much profits did Weissglass’s law office or business accrue from Palestinian Authority interests before Weissglass assumed his position?

What are the current profits of Weissglass’s law office and business from Palestinian Authority interests?

Is there a remote possibility of a conflict of interest, at a time when Weissglass conducts negotiations on behalf of the state of Israel with all official levels of the Palestinian Authority?