Netanyahu corruption trial day 14 concludes at Tel Aviv District Court

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned at his Monday corruption trial testimony how a 2015 Walla interview could be seen as unusual treatment, and explained that his complaints to co-defendant Shaul Elovitch were warranted.

Netanyahu said that he had spoken to Elovitch, but couldn't remember if the ex-Walla owner, aide Nir Hefetz, or he had suggested a follow-up interview. Alleged media bribery scheme middleman Zeev Rubinstein had also contacted ex-Walla CEO Ilan Yeshua, but Netanyahu insisted that his friend had done this of his own accord, adding that he wouldn't need Rubinstein if he was speaking directly to Elovitch.

The prime minister noted that it was Walla that had requested the interview, and argued that if he had an agreement with Elovitch for positive coverage, the interview would have been handled differently.

Sections of a 2015 Walla interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that according to an indictment were removed due to requests from the Israeli leader, were still present in the published video, defense attorney Amit Hadad argued at Netanyahu's Monday corruption trial testimony.

Hadad presented the video to the court, playing sections that had supposedly been removed. Netanyahu also said that it was clear that he was not the one to make the edit requests to ex-Walla owner Shaul Elovitch and ex-Walla CEO Ilan Yeshua.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial testimony ended early on Monday, in accordance with a request made by the Israeli leader at the beginning of the hearing.

The next hearing is set to be held on Tuesday. The hearing was moved from Wednesday also at the request of Netanyahu.

Defense Attorney Amit Hadad presented a 2019 interview with National Unity leader Benny Gantz in which the interviewer asked the politician how he was so statesman-like, drawing a contrast with a 2015 Walla interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu complained that there was no inquiry into unusual treatment of his political rival, but a negative interview he had with Walla was seen by prosecutors as positive coverage.

The prosecution objected to the interview's presentation, arguing that it was a different interview and outlet. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't interested in a 2015 interview with Walla because he saw the outlet as oppositional, the Israeli leader said at his Monday corruption trial testimony, explaining that former aide and state's witness Nir Hefetz had convinced him otherwise.

While the indictment contended that the interview was an example of unusual treatment and a component in its theory of a media bribery scheme, when defense attorney Amit Hadad presented the questions to the court and Netanyahu, the prime minister said that the queries posed to him were hostile.

Hadad played a clip of the interview before the court to demonstrate, after which Netanyahu said that he was boiling in anger because he had been promised a fair interview and had supposedly been deceived.

"I'm a sucker," said Netanyahu. "I was angry at myself that I allowed the interview." 

The Prime Minister Office's legal advisor advised that there were no significant relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and co-defendant Shaul Elovitch, defense attorney Amit Hadad argued at the Israeli leader's Monday corruption trial testimony.

In a response to inquiries about Netanyahu's relationship with the Bezeq owner, Hadad noted that the legal adviser Shlomit Barnea-Fargo had written that Netanyahu had known Elovitch for 20 years and they met once every few months at social events with the ex-Walla owner, his wife, and other friends. Netanyahu had claimed there were no loans or donations from Elovitch.

Barnea-Fargo is a witness in the cases against the prime minister, and Netanyahu had allegedly sought to fire her in 2019.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied at his Monday corruption trial testimony of concealing his relationship with co-defendant and Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch from government legal advisors.

Netanyahu claimed that he had answered all questions from government legal advisors about his relationship with Elovitch, even volunteering information.

Netanyahu noted that the issue of news coverage was not raised back in 2015 when it came to questions regarding his connection to the ex-Walla owner.

Government legal advisors inquired about the nature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's relationship with Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch in 2016 over concern about a conflict of interest, according to a letter reviewed by the defense at the Israeli leader's Monday corruption trial.

The Prime Minister's Office was asked about the background to their meetings, when they had met and in what context. The legal advisors asked if Netanyahu and Elovitch had a close relationship and a financial relationship, and if Elovitch had donated or loaned money to the prime minister.

The letter came as the Communication Ministry was set to engage with matters related to Elovitch's holdings.

Allegations of a conflict of interest between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch were unfounded due to the nature of their relationship, the Israeli leader argued at his Monday corruption trial testimony as the defense reviewed internal government communications on the subject.

Netanyahu said that the documents echoed his position that he was not close friends with the co-defendant, and had no financial connections that created a concern about conflict of interest. Without a close and financial relationship, his dealings with telecommunications matters as communication minister in 2015 were not in violation of any norms.

"I knew him for 20 years, we weren't friends for 20 years," Netanyahu said in response to the indictment's claims of a longstanding relationship between the two.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an envelope as the Monday morning Haifa terrorist attack unfolded, but his testimony continued uninterrupted.