Miriam Feirberg-Ikar, 74, the longtime mayor of Netanya, died after battling cancer in recent years. She had served as mayor since 1998. In the early years of her tenure she confronted organized crime groups in the city and shut down many illegal businesses.
In September 2008 she even had a verbal confrontation with crime figure Francois Abutbul and told him: "You are a knife in Netanya's back."
In 2016 Feirberg-Ikar was arrested on suspicion of corruption offenses. According to the allegations, she received bribes from contractors in exchange for approving construction projects.
In the end, no indictment was filed against her and the case was closed for lack of evidence. Despite the investigation and arrest, Feirberg-Ikar was elected again as mayor.
