Netanyahu rebuked for plan to use crypto to bypass economic sanctions

Read the original at The Straits Times ↗
Cite

The Straits Times. (2026, October 25). Netanyahu rebuked for plan to use crypto to bypass economic sanctions. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/netanyahu-rebuked-for-plan-to-use-crypto-to-bypass-economic-sanctions

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Straits Times · collected 2026-10-25 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced criticism from economists and political opponents after suggesting Israel could use cryptocurrency to circumvent potential international sanctions during a Channel 10 interview on October 25. The Bank of Israel dismissed the idea, stating that cryptocurrencies cannot bypass sanctions and urging focus on policies that prevent such measures. Over 100 economists issued an open letter warning against Netanyahu's proposal, citing risks like higher unemployment and economic damage.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-25, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested using cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to help Israel operate under potential international sanctions during an interview with Israel's Channel 10 on October 24, 2026. However, his proposal faced immediate criticism; the Bank of Israel rebuked him on October 25, stating that cryptocurrency cannot serve as a route to bypass sanctions and urging political leaders to focus on policies that would prevent such measures. Netanyahu's comments came amid growing diplomatic isolation for Israel due to actions by Britain, France, and Canada targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank, highlighting the increasing pressure on Israel’s economy from potential international sanctions.

Written for “Netanyahu Crypto Plan” on 2026-10-25, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Netanyahu Crypto Plan
Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Al Jazeera · 0.86 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 100% hedged 2 of 2 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles discuss Netanyahu's suggestion to use cryptocurrencies to bypass potential international sanctions, occurring around the same time and related to the same statement.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Straits Times · 3573 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)

Who wrote this

The Straits Times
2256 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 Netanyahu rebuked for plan to use crypto to bypass economic sanctions JERUSALEM, Oct 25 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces re-election this week, is drawing criticism from economists and political rivals after suggesting Israel could use cryptocurrency to help shield its economy from potential international sanctions.
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Also by The Straits Times
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2256 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

Channel 10 Iran Israel Israeli JERUSALEM

Subjects

Netanyahu PERSON · 10× Israel GPE · 7× Iran GPE · 3× Israeli NORP · 3× Russia GPE · 2× Benjamin Netanyahu PERSON · 1× Britain GPE · 1× Channel 10 ORG · 1× France GPE · 1× JERUSALEM GPE · 1×

Narrative

The comments drew a rare rebuke by the Bank of Israel, which said crypto currencies cannot serve as a route to bypass sanctions and that political leaders should focus on policy that would render such measures unnecessary. "The right course for Israel's economy is to preserve our economic relations with our main trading partners, and to focus on preventing sanctions and their negative impact on the economy," it said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-25
🔮 Netanyahu rebuked for plan to use crypto to bypass economic sanctions JERUSALEM, Oct 25 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces re-election this week, is drawing criticism from economists and political rivals after suggesting Israel could use cryptocurrency to help shield its economy from potential international sanctions.
2026-10-25 · The Straits Times
Netanyahu rebuked for plan to use crypto to bypass economic sanctions · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 2 hedged)

Netanyahu rebuked for plan to use crypto to bypass economic sanctions JERUSALEM, Oct 25 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces re-election this week, is drawing criticism from economists and political rivals after suggesting Israel could use cryptocurrency to help shield its economy from potential international sanctions. uncertain
Israel → rebuke → sanctions
In an interview with Israel's Channel 10 on Friday, Netanyahu said he was preparing for a scenario in which broader sanctions were imposed on Israel. asserted
sanctions → say → Israel
Last month, Britain, France and Canada said they would block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank in what was the latest in a series of actions targeting Israel's settlement policy, underscoring its growing diplomatic isolation among some of its traditional allies. asserted
what → say → allies
"There could be sanctions, and sanctions on banks so you need to set up a bypass economy," Netanyahu said. uncertain
Netanyahu → need → economy
"You know, there are currencies that can bypass (sanctions). asserted
that → know → sanctions
We are also working on that." asserted
We → work → that
Asked whether he was referring to cryptocurrency, Netanyahu replied: "Very true, very true," adding that blockchain technology was another possibility. asserted
technology → ask → cryptocurrency
The comments drew a rare rebuke by the Bank of Israel, which said crypto currencies cannot serve as a route to bypass sanctions and that political leaders should focus on policy that would render such measures unnecessary. "The right course for Israel's economy is to preserve our economic relations with our main trading partners, and to focus on preventing sanctions and their negative impact on the economy," it said. asserted
it → draw → economy
Netanyahu on Sunday continued to defend his record, urging voters to back him and saying he and US President Donald Trump had two years left to work together to topple Iran's rulers. asserted
he → continue → rulers
PLAN DRAWS CRITICISM asserted
PLAN → draw → CRITICISM
On Sunday, more than 100 economists, including former Bank of Israel officials, ex-central bank governor Jacob Frenkel and several Nobel laureates, signed a letter expressing alarm over Netanyahu's proposal. asserted
economists → include → proposal
They said it would lead to higher unemployment, a fall in foreign investment and the collapse of Israel's economic standing in the world. asserted
it → say → world
"As we have seen in countries that have suffered similar sanctions, such as South Africa, Iran, and Russia, the living standards of Israeli citizens would plummet dramatically, and the state's ability to finance its security and defend itself against its enemies would be severely damaged," the letter read. asserted
letter → see → enemies
"Netanyahu is knowingly leading the State of Israel toward boycott and international economic isolation, and all he has to offer the Israeli economy is a puzzling solution, one accepted in criminal organizations, that will not help in the slightest." asserted
that → lead → slightest
Netanyahu's main rival in Tuesday's election, Gadi Eisenkot, called the crypto plan "madness" and said he feared that the "BibiCoin policy" would drive companies abroad and undermine national security. asserted
policy → call → security
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said: "Netanyahu has gone off the rails ... asserted
Netanyahu → say → rails
He promises the citizens of Israel before these elections that they'll be standing in line for an hour and a half for bread, like in Russia and Iran." asserted
they → promise → Russia
Opinion polls point to a potential stalemate in the election with neither Netanyahu's ruling coalition nor an opposition alliance securing a governing majority in parliament. asserted
coalition → point → parliament
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