On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in court for the fifth day of his cross-examination in Case 4000, one of the three cases against him. The day before, he had asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon.
Netanyahu is facing these charges
The premier is on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in Case 4000, also known as the Bezeq-Walla case, which focuses on allegations that Netanyahu authorized regulatory decisions that financially benefited Bezeq telecommunications giant shareholder Shaul Elovitch by hundreds of millions of shekels.
Amit Hadad, the premier’s lawyer, started Monday’s session by requesting that the Jerusalem District Court postpone the Tuesday hearing because of what he described as a “political-security” item on his agenda. If the request were to be granted, Hadad said, Netanyahu would be willing to prolong Wednesday’s hearing by an hour to partially make up the lost time.
The premier would only testify twice this week, as he has done every week since the court increased his hearings to three times a week in October, since the court granted the motion.
A gathering of demonstrators was waiting for Netanyahu as he arrived at the Tel Aviv District Court, some of them wearing orange prison-style jumpsuits.
The premier’s appeal for a pardon was ridiculed by two demonstrators, one wearing an orange jumpsuit and a mask of Netanyahu’s face and the other wearing a suit and a mask of Herzog’s face, while others surrounded them and pointed banners that said “to jail.”
As the hearing got underway, prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh of the State Attorney’s office accused Netanyahu of not telling the truth when he repeatedly informed the Jerusalem District Court during his primary evidence that he considered the Walla News website was inconsequential.
Tirosh noted that, despite Netanyahu’s repeated claims that Walla was hostile to him and that he only interviewed with the website during elections, he did give at least one interview to the outlet outside of an election period and then shared a link to the interview on social media.
“We see that you said incorrect things in primary testimony, that you didn’t interview [with Walla outside of an election period],” Tirosh told the jury.
She presented evidence to the court that Netanyahu shared Walla articles about or with him on his Facebook page over the years, charging that “this contradicts your categorical statement that there was no interest in appearing on the Walla website and that you were only interviewed during an election period.”
In response, the premier slammed Tirosh, accusing her of departing from normal practice by filing the prosecution’s indictment and of dishonest behavior.
“You accuse me of making a false statement.” A lie. You should be ashamed,” Netanyahu slammed the prosecution. “You’ve lied throughout this entire case.”
He accused Tirosh of making the matter “the core of the accusation” against him without legal authority, of concealing legal opinions from the Justice Ministry and the State Comptroller, and of “hidden the correspondence of other politicians with Walla.”
Netanyahu and his defense team contended in the prime minister’s primary testimony that Walla’s coverage of him had frequently been hostile and confrontational.
After a brief intermission, Tirosh resumed probing Netanyahu about his relationship with Elovitch, at which point the prime minister launched into a tirade against Israel’s court system, which he claimed was wasting his time.
“We’re all amazed by your absurd interrogations; you investigated Bugs Bunny,” the premier added, referring to reports that the premier’s wife, Sara, asked Hollywood billionaire Arnon Milchan for a huge Bugs Bunny toy for their son, Yair, in 1996.
“After ten years, I am allowed to express my frustration and anger,” he explained, defending his outburst. “You are wasting the time of the court, the prime minister of Israel, and the people of Israel with this nonsense.”
In the six years since his indictment, Netanyahu has repeatedly declared his innocence and described the trial as a politically motivated witch hunt.
On Sunday, he took a move that he had previously stated he would not take: he submitted a formal pardon request to Herzog, which, if granted, would conclude his lengthy trial years earlier than planned.
The premier did not acknowledge guilt in the request, and in a video statement, he contested the charges against him as well as the integrity of the indictment process. He also did not express any willingness to resign as prime minister, claiming that if he were pardoned, he would be free to more effectively serve Israel’s interests.
He claimed that the trial was ripping Israel apart and that its prompt conclusion “would greatly help lower the flames and promote broad reconciliation.”
Herzog stated that he will assess the request based on expert opinions from the Justice Ministry and other legal experts, which is expected to take several weeks.
