Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial testimony ended on Monday, with the hearing set to resume at normal hours on Tuesday. Netanyahu maintained that he was being targeted by false allegations, claiming the indictment against him and not his co-defendant Gilad Erdan for the approval of the 2014 sale of Yad2 to Walla was a “targeted campaign”.
Netanyahu testified that investigators did not question him on most items in the indictment and described ex-Walla owner Shaul Elovitch as “Walla Ackbar”. He claimed he didn’t have a means to monitor the Walla website, despite being asked about individual stories and negative articles.
The prime minister also argued that the alleged media bribery scheme was absurd, citing a series of intermediaries between him and co-defendant Ilan Yeshua. Netanyahu joked that the scenario resembled the Passover holiday song “Ahad Gadiyah”.
During his testimony, Netanyahu shared a story about former US Secretary of State John Kerry’s attempt to convince him to relinquish control of the Jordan Valley by assuring him American-backed security.
Netanyahu also insisted on leaving the hearing room early due to government matters and claimed he didn’t know what he was signing when he signed a 2014 document approving Bezeq parent B Communications’ stock sales. The prime minister argued that legal experts and bureaucrats reviewed the document before it arrived on his desk, discrediting allegations of quid pro quo.
Netanyahu faces three cases against him: Case 4000 accuses him of bribery in an alleged scheme with co-defendants Shaul and Iris Elovitch; Case 2000 alleges he sought to weaken Yisrael Hayom newspaper with legislation in return for positive coverage from publisher Arnon Mozes’s Yediot Aharonot; and Case 1000 claims he received expensive gifts in exchange for furthering businessman Arnon Milchan’s interests.
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/2024-12-23/live-updates-834515