Netanyahu at trial: No substantial evidence, case was a 'witch hunt' to remove him

Netanyahu's testimony will wrap up by around noon today, following a request from the prime minister.

Netanyahu's team presented several instances where information from police interrogations of figures close to Netanyahu, like former chief of staff Ari Harow, were leaked to the press. 

“This made me feel awful…," said Netanyahu. "There was nothing substantial, police went one by one to people close to me, trying to fish for something, and nothing came of these attempts. This was a witch hunt!” 

“[Former attorney-general Avichai] Mandelblit cracked! He presented himself as a guardian of democracy, and went with bribery for the indictment! This was a rigged game, there is no connection to justice here - it’s all political, there are no norms or no justice, all the rules were broken - all by the prosecution. You can see it clear as day,” he added.

“When you see that, on the eve of elections, leaks are happening with direct quotes from everyone in the room, how do you experience this?” asked Hadad. 

Netanyahu responded, “This was a series of rule breaking, mounds of lies that split the entire country, the public was told by the media that I am corrupt, as are my friends, my family, everyone around me - their lives were ruined.” 

He added, “They didn’t just destroy me, they destroyed democracy! It’s unbelievable, and it continues today, it’s accepted. People complaining about the destruction of democracy - where are they? Crickets.” 

“Except that I keep winning in the elections,” he added.

Netanyahu charged the prosecutors, “You broke every law, in the name of the law, to incriminate me!”
 

“Arnon [Milchan] was a close friend, and we haven’t spoken for about eight years since this all began,” said Netanyahu.

“This investigation destroyed families, all to serve the goal of removing a sitting prime minister.”

The testimony on Wednesday was slated to cover Case 1000. Lead defense attorney Amit Hadad began by addressing one item from Case 4000, which concluded last week, concerning news publications from December 2016 about a police investigation into Netanyahu’s relationship with former Walla and Bezeq owner Shaul Elovich. Former Walla CEO-turned state’s witness Nir Hefetz asked to meet Elovich urgently. 

The indictment states that during the meeting, Hefetz confided in Elovich his fears that an investigation into the Netanyahu-Elovich relationship will be opened - that that is the main concern in Netanyahu’s circles. 

Netanyahu said he didn’t know anything about the request, and that he didn’t anticipate the opening of an investigation. “It didn’t concern me at all,” he said.

In Case 4000, the prosecution alleged a give and take of favorable coverage in Walla in exchange for regulatory changes that would be beneficial to Elovich. 

The prosecution claimed that Elovich asked that the publications in Walla on the investigation be favorable. Netanyahu said, “They were not.” 

The 22nd day of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial begins at Tel Aviv District Court.

About a dozen people protested outside the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday morning ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal trial testimony.

The protesters, clad in symbolic orange jumpsuits, called for Netanyahu to be imprisoned. 

"There is no forgiveness for betrayal," they said, and "don't believe him, he's lying." 

One man was dressed in Qatari garb in a nod to the "Qatargate" case. Police are investigating alleged ties between figures close to Netanyahu who worked in the Prime Minister's Office, and the state of Qatar. Allegedly, Qatari figures used this connection to influence Israeli public opinion on the Gulf state.