Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly defended his actions during his testimony in a corruption case in Tel Aviv, including the receipt of notes from aides during a court hearing. The incident on Monday drew criticism from the prosecution, which questioned the legitimacy of handing over such notes without prosecutors or judges being made aware of their contents, the Jerusalem Post reports.
“I am the prime minister”
Netanyahu was outraged by this remark, stressing that he could not constantly coordinate the content of the notes with the court. “I want to testify. But I am the prime minister,” he said. The politician explained that he was forced to balance his duties as head of government with participation in court proceedings.
A quick investigation: “Why the rush?”
The prime minister and his lawyer, Amit Hadad, have harshly criticised the police investigation, calling it hasty and superficial. According to Netanyahu, the investigators did not ask enough questions, did not provide him with materials, and did not give him the opportunity to properly respond to the accusations.
“It was the fastest investigation in history,” Netanyahu said sarcastically, referring to a statement by one of the investigators about the speed of the case.
Refuting the charges in the 4000 case
Netanyahu has also denied the 4000 indictment, which charges him with bribery. According to the indictment, he allegedly facilitated the implementation of policies in favour of the telecommunications company Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla news portal, owned by Shaul and Iris Elovitch.
Netanyahu insisted that he did not need an intermediary to communicate with Elovich. “If I wanted to contact Elovic, I would have just picked up the phone,” he said. The politician stressed that in the context of an intense political campaign, he did not have time to work through intermediaries, especially since one of them, Zeev Rubinstein, was in the United States in a different time zone.
According to Netanyahu, if Rubinstein did contact Elovich about Walla’s editorial policy, he did so independently, seeking to please Sarah Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife.
Other cases: 2000 і 1000
Netanyahu is also involved in two other cases. In case 2000, he is accused of trying to negotiate with publisher Arnon Mozes of Yediot Aharonot to weaken his rival Yisrael Hayom in exchange for positive publications. In case 1000, the prime minister is accused of receiving expensive gifts from businessman Arnon Milchan in exchange for lobbying his interests.
Netanyahu denies all charges, claiming that they are part of a political persecution.
