Israeli Online Gambling Tycoon Bids $1B for peace

Apparently money can’t buy you love – but can it buy peace? So desperate is one Israeli millionaire for an end to the hostility between his country and the Palestinian territories that he’ll scrape together a billion dollars to make it happen.

Avi Shaked, 53, said he would give an initial installment of $100 million to the Palestinians if their prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh and Israel’s Ehud Olmert began talks.

Shakes quickly became one of Israel’s wealthiest men through 888 Holdings, a conglomerate of gambling Web sites such as 888.com, Pacific Poker and Betmate.
He reportedly has a group of financiers who will put forward the money as soon as some sort of accord is reached.


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