‘Have You No Shame?’: In Court Rant, Netanyahu Accuses Prosecutors of ‘Set-Up’

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu erupted in anger on Monday while giving testimony at his ongoing criminal trial, accusing the prosecution of fabricating charges against him, particularly regarding an alleged illicit deal with Shaul Elovitch, the owner of the Walla news website. Netanyahu furiously claimed that the indictment was “unbelievable” and based on unfounded allegations. “For eight years, you’ve been dragging me through this hell. For what? Have you no shame?” he demanded, addressing the prosecutors in the courtroom.

Netanyahu also rejected one of the central allegations in Case 4000, which accuses him of delaying telecom market reforms to benefit Elovitch. He contended that, in reality, he had given his full support to then-Communications Minister Gilad Erdan, even allowing him to stay in office for an additional two weeks to finish implementing the reforms.

This was only Netanyahu’s eighth appearance as a witness since he started testifying in December of the previous year, after several delays due to scheduling conflicts, his recent prostate surgery, and his trip to the US the previous week. In Case 4000, Netanyahu faces accusations of making regulatory decisions that favored Elovitch, the major shareholder of Bezeq, Israel’s largest telecom company, in exchange for favorable media coverage on Walla. The prosecution claims that Netanyahu was involved in ensuring this coverage despite opposition from ministry officials.

At the outset of the hearing, Judge Rebecca Friedman-Feldman asked Netanyahu’s lawyer, Amit Hadad, to limit his time discussing the numerous allegations of media interference by Netanyahu in Walla’s coverage. Hadad refused, suggesting that the prosecution should eliminate irrelevant examples from the indictment before he would consider complying with the judge’s request. A hearing to discuss the issue has been scheduled for next week.

A particular example outlined in the indictment sparked Netanyahu’s outburst during the session. The case includes an article from December 2014 on Walla about Netanyahu’s son Avner joining the IDF. Prosecutors claim Netanyahu pressured Walla to publish the article as part of his alleged agreement with Elovitch.

Hadad pointed out that many other news outlets, such as NRG, Ynet, and even Haaretz—known for its criticism of Netanyahu—had also reported on Avner’s enlistment, noting that the story was of general news interest. “How is it possible that I am indicted for this when it’s published in every other outlet, including my ‘friend’ [Haaretz publisher Amos] Shocken?” Netanyahu questioned. “For eight years, you’ve been dragging me through this hell. For what? Have you no shame? This is unbelievable… Did you check this?… You didn’t check anything. How can you say that is ‘special treatment?’ You set me up from beginning to end!”

Another part of the indictment accuses Netanyahu of attempting to influence Walla’s coverage of his wife, Sara Netanyahu, regarding claims of wasteful spending at the Prime Minister’s Residence. Hadad explained that Netanyahu had simply requested that Walla include a response from Sara Netanyahu, something that had not been initially sought by Walla. Netanyahu argued that this was a standard journalistic practice and noted that other media outlets had similarly requested and published responses to the same issue.

In addition, Hadad addressed the claims in the indictment about Netanyahu obstructing telecom market reforms in favor of Elovitch. At the time, Minister Gilad Erdan had been working on reforms to allow Bezeq’s competitors to access its infrastructure, thus promoting market competition. The indictment suggests that Elovitch sought to have Erdan removed from his post, as the reforms would negatively impact Bezeq’s interests. Netanyahu confirmed that he had agreed to Erdan’s request to stay on for an additional two weeks to complete the reforms, denying any involvement by Elovitch in the decision to remove Erdan.

Netanyahu further explained that after Erdan left the Communications Ministry, he himself took over the portfolio to further promote media diversity in Israel, which he viewed as dominated by left-wing outlets. He pointed out that although the telecom reforms went ahead, a second part of the reform related to fiber optic infrastructure had been delayed for several years after Erdan’s departure, but stressed that he had supported the overall reform to increase competition.

When questioned about claims by state witness Nir Hefetz that Elovitch had complained to Netanyahu about the reforms, Netanyahu dismissed the accusations as “total lies” and claimed Hefetz was merely trying to appease investigators under duress. Hefetz had previously testified that he had been subjected to harsh conditions in detention before agreeing to cooperate with the prosecution, although he maintained in court that he was not pressured to testify against Netanyahu.

Netanyahu also denied meeting with Elovitch in November 2014 to discuss the Bezeq-Yes merger, which was later approved and benefited Elovitch financially. The indictment asserts that Netanyahu arranged the meeting through Hefetz and took measures to keep Elovitch’s visit discreet. Netanyahu acknowledged that Elovitch had been brought to his office in a discreet manner, but explained that this was standard protocol for protecting the privacy of visitors and maintaining the security of the prime minister’s schedule.

At the beginning of his testimony, Netanyahu mentioned facing medical challenges, including the need for high doses of antibiotics following his prostate surgery in December. He indicated that he would require extra breaks during the session, although he ultimately did not request an excessive number of breaks. However, he did request to conclude the hearing one hour early to attend a no-confidence motion in the Knesset, which the judges granted. The court also agreed to cancel a scheduled hearing for Tuesday after Netanyahu’s defense team requested it, due to a fresh crisis in the hostage-prisoner release agreement with Hamas.

{Matzav.com Israel}