Netanyahu clashed with judges in his corruption trial, insisting his actions were standard political practice rather than bribery.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly banged his fist on the stand on Wednesday demanding that judges allow him to provide more detail in response to some of the claims in the corruption trial against him, according to Israeli media reports.
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate cases, known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000.
He is accused of providing favours to Shaul Elovitch, then-owner of Bezeq telecommunications company and the Walla news site, in exchange for favorable coverage. The premier also allegedly received lavish gifts in exchange for regulatory benefits and diplomatic support for prominent businessmen.
“I can’t accept what is being said here,” Netanyahu yelled as he slammed his fists on the stand marking Day 17 of the trial, the Jerusalem Post reported.
‘Stop My Life’
The Jerusalem Post reported that Defense Attorney Amit Hadad argued that “at least three items in the indictment against the Israeli leader were requests to Walla to include the Likud party’s response to news stories, rather than unusual coverage demands as part of a media bribery scheme.”
Netanyahu reportedly said that it was “the journalistic minimum to include the response and position of another party mentioned in the story, such as a Walla article about a Moshe Kahlon staffer calling him Satan.”
Israeli protesters rallied outside the Tel Aviv district court as Benjamin Netanyahu appeared for his corruption trial.
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The report added that the spokesperson’s remarks, sent to ex-Walla owner Shaul Elovitch and ex-CEO Ilan Yeshua, “were published in similar stories by multiple outlets.”
Netanyahu claimed that investigators could not find anything incriminating, but that “they had to find something to stop my life,” the report noted.
The premier also accused state prosecutors of having “put me through hell,” reported the Times of Israel.
Over 300 Cases
Case 4000 includes over 300 alleged cases of illicit attempted intervention by Netanyahu or his aides in the coverage of the Walla news site, the report noted.
Haaretz reported that after Netanyahu “shouted at the judges, he received a note and told them, ‘I need to take a break, but a longer one.’”
The session was paused, and resumed after a 40-minute break, the report added.
At the Tel Aviv District Court, Netanyahu was questioned by his lawyer, Amit Hadad, about the 46th instance on a list of over 300 alleged attempts by him or his aides to influence coverage on the Walla news site. #Palestine https://t.co/cne9VvKhqi
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Former Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed the indictment against Netanyahu in late November 2019. Netanyahu denied all charges against him, claiming they were part of a “political campaign aimed at ousting him,” the Al Jazeera Arabic news site reported.
The case remains one of the most controversial in Israeli politics with Netanyahu being the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant in the country’s history.
Under Israeli law, he is not required to resign unless convicted by the Supreme Court, a process that could take several months.
Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes,” compelling the ICC’s 124 member states to arrest them should they enter their territory.
(PC, AJA)
