Netanyahu says former aides were forced to lie under oath

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that former communications aide turned state witness Nir Hefetz was a confidant, claiming at his Monday corruption trial testimony that he was always wary of the aide's connections to Yedioth Ahronoth owner Arnon Mozes.

Netanyahu didn't discuss personal matters or sensitive security issues with Hefetz, the prime minister claimed.

The aide's connections with Mozes were both a disadvantage and an advantage, said Netanyahu. Hefetz was brought onto his team because of his connection to Mozes, keeping in mind that Yedioth was one of the most influential news outlets in the country.

Netanyahu allegedly fired Hefetz because there were significant leaks from the office, and the prime ministers suspected the aide. A contributing factor was that Hefetz had personal issues with other office staff.

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides turned state witnesses were forced to lie during testimonies, the Israeli leader said during his Monday corruption trial testimony.

Netanyahu said that, like former adviser and chief of staff Ari Harow, communications aide Nir Hefetz was caught by trumped-up crimes so that he would give false testimony.

"I was angered by him," said Netanyahu, but later, "I understood that he had to lie."

He clarified that "at first, I was very angry with him, but after seeing the  torture he went through, I understood the circumstances in which he was forced to satisfy his investigators."

Netanyahu said that elements of Hefetz's testimony, such as claims that 2013-era regulatory policy was adjusted to Bezeq's favor to benefit then owner and current co-defendant Shaul Elovitch, were intended to please investigators.

Hefetz had also testified that he would speak to Netanyahu and his wife about how to please Bezeq before contacting former director-general of the Communications Ministry Shlomo Filber. Netanyahu said that the supposed chain of communications was ridiculous.

Netanyahu criticized the investigations into his regulatory policies as impeding the progress of contrasts for Israel's internet infrastructure, as well as those for submarines.

Defense Attorney Amit Haddad clashed with the judges about the extent of detail explored during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony on Monday.

Judge Moshe Baram urged Haddad to ask more general questions as Haddad reviewed items from the indictment with his client, but Haddad argued that the "macro" in the allegations was informed by the "micro." 

Defense Attorney Amit Haddad on Monday continued to present ostensibly negative news coverage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demonstrate how there was no media bribery scheme between the Israeli leader and ex-Walla owner Shaul Elovitch.

Netanyahu attacked Walla over one article that was accused of serving a Hamas narrative, using his oft-repeated refrains to "Walla Hamas" and "Walla Akhbar."
 
"Based on what am I guilty?" Netanyahu said of one negative article.

One article, which Netanyahu decried as a lie, asserted that Netanyahu incited violence against former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated.

The Prime Minister denied that he had been in contact with alleged middleman Zeev Rubinstein about taking down a "fake news" article on Walla.

In one message from Rubinstein regarding a late-night article about Sara Netanyahu, Netanyahu noted that based on the female tenses used and tone taken, his friend was clearly speaking to his wife about the news item and not the prime minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial testimony held a recess for lunch. 

Not every news coverage request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ex-Walla owner Shaul Elovitch translated into an article or change in coverage on the news outlet, Defense attorney Amit highlighted during his review of the indictment items on Monday, in an effort to attack the prosecution's theory that Netanyahu had participated in a media bribery scheme.

Hadded presented a few requests allegedly made by Netanyahu or intermediaries, challenging the indictment describing these communications as "demands" when there was no corresponding article on Walla.

The investigation was not cohesive and had produced an indictment "puzzle" that had to be assembled on the table, Haddad decried. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman chastised Haddad for making comments more suitable for a closing statement than part of an examination of a defendant.

Netanyahu said that he hadn't remembered one of the requests, deriding another by exclaiming "What is this thing?"

"I appreciate that you all agreed to go one-by-one on each item," Netanyahu said to his defense team, but asserted that the indictment was cobbled together from ridiculous and exaggerated accusations that shouldn't have amounted to corruption charges. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was given a brief break in his corruption trial testimony in Tel Aviv on Monday. 

Netanyahu has been ill due to post-prostate surgery infection and has been promised time to rest during the hearings as needed, but has previously regularly asked for breaks to respond to urgent government business.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's relationships with news outlets were in line with the norm, the Israeli leader argued during his Monday testimony on allegations of a media bribery scheme.

All the previous prime ministers had relationships with newspaper owners and editors-in-chief, said the prime minister. Netanyahu said that he had discussions on the matter with Israel and foreign leaders, and providing information to the media was the norm.

"Give me a break," said Netanyahu. "It's the norm in our democracy and in the democracy of the Americans."

Netanyahu routinely contacted news outlet leadership other than that of Walla, which he noted was more routine than his communications with co-defendant and former Walla owner Shaul Elovitch.

Netanyahu complained that he had attempted to convey a great deal of information to the Israeli media, but they ignored his positions and narrative, describing them as an impenetrable wall.

The prime minister claimed that this media landscape was antithetical to democracy, and that he sought to diversify, not control the media.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday urged the judges in the corruption trial to take greater consideration of his illness and situation as leader of the country.  

"It's not a delay, and it's not spin," said Netanyahu.

The prime minister said that he had many demands from his position that had to be considered by the court, including the situation in Lebanon and the developments in the deal with Hamas to release its hostages.

Defense Attorney Amit Haddad had made requests to limit the testimonies to once a week, but on Saturday, the court had decided to hold truncated testimonies three times a week, from 9:00 until 14:00.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial testimony began anew at the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday after a prolonged recess due to the Israeli leader's illness.

Netanyahu had suffered an infection after prostate surgery, leading to delays in the proceedings. 

The judges wished the prime minister good health at the outset, noting that if he was feeling unwell at any point they could take breaks.