Netanyahu trial day 31: PM returns to courtroom after meeting with Witkoff ends

Chen presented text messages between Elovich and Yeshua, one in which Elovich wrote, “This has nothing to do with him, he has already signed,” referring to Netanyahu allegedly signing regulatory deals that were supposedly beneficial to Elovich. 

Netanyahu on Tuesday denied it completely. 

Netanyahu denied issuing any instructions either to then-director-general of the Communications Ministry, Shlomo Filber, to make any regulatory changes that would be favorable to Elovich. 

He also described his impression of Elovich as a person: A right-wing man who was afraid to say so out loud.

Netanyahu noted that what the indictment referred to as “special requests” on coverage were regular public relations announcements that went out by spokespeople to every outlet, as is standard practice.

Chen’s position as Elovich's defense lead is to undermine the bribery attempt charges. Netanyahu said that standard, run-of-the-mill conversations like these happened with CEOs all the time, as well as with politicians, that there was nothing out of the ordinary with these discussions, and certainly nothing close to bribery.

Addressing the larger bribery claim, Netanyahu said, “I never used my position of power to advance anything unrelated to my position, or to advance the interests of my friends - not Elovich, and not Milchan.” 

He added, “I’m not here to serve myself, I’m here to serve the public, and I have tried, repeatedly over the years, to minimize the power granted to me in my position, not expand it!” 

Taking a jab at the indictment itself, he said, “Before hurling this at me, they [the prosecution] could have checked: Walla was not an influential site, and it was not of any interest to me to change or influence its coverage.” 

“My interest in Walla was not about coverage at all; it was the wasted potential that I saw in it. It could have been a powerhouse; that’s what I told Elovich, and I knew that he understood and believed it too. It had nothing ever to do with anything that I could get out of it, it was miles and miles beyond bribery,” he added.

Iris Elovich, in a confrontation with former Walla CEO Ilan Yeshua by police in 2018, noted then for the first time that there was a demand by Sara Netanyahu to make a coverage change on Walla.

Elovich said at the time that she adhered to no demand, nor was she “afraid of any consequences,” per the question of the interrogator. 

Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the text of this confrontation wasn’t even presented to him in his own interrogations. “Not only was it not presented to me, it was purposefully withheld!” he charged.

Netanyahu added that he had no idea of his wife’s actions. “My wife put in a request, one I didn’t even know about, that was wholly rejected - this only goes to show that Walla was not a home outlet for us, completely collapsing the thesis of the indictment,” he added.

Netanyahu was questioned on Tuesday as part of his main defense portion of the trial, before it heads into cross-examination, led by the prosecution. Over the next few hearings, he will be questioned by the lead defense attorneys of other defendants listed in the indictment. 

The attorneys for Shaul and Iris Elovich and Arnon “Noni” Mozes will question Netanyahu - the primary defendant - on behalf of their clients, in two of the three cases levied against the prime minister. In Case 4000, or the “Walla-Bezeq Affair,” Netanyahu is on trial for allegedly promising to advance regulatory changes beneficial to the Elovich couple’s (Shaul and Iris) business interests, in exchange for positive coverage on the Walla news site.

Shaul owned both the communication conglomerate Bezeq and the Walla news site. This case holds the weightiest charge of the three - bribery - as well as fraud and breach-of-trust. Elovich and his wife were charged with bribery.

In Case 2000, or the “Netanyahu-Mozes Affair,” the relationship between the prime minister and the owner of Yediot Aharonot is under scrutiny. Allegedly, Mozes offered a bribe to Netanyahu: positive coverage of him and his family in the prominent daily and negative coverage of political opponents, in exchange for the advancement of legislation that would force restrictions on rival Yediot tabloid daily Israel Hayom. Netanyahu was charged with fraud and breach-of-trust in Case 2000, while Mozes was charged with attempted bribery.

Netanyahu was questioned on Tuesday by Jack Chen, the Elovichs’ lead defense attorney. Throughout the questioning, the prosecution sparred heavily with Chen over his style of questioning. 

Asked by Chen if he had a “bribery-type” relationship with Elovich, Netanyahu said he had nothing of the sort, nor with any other news CEOs. 

The criminal trial testimony hearing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began at the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday, amid the rumored breakthrough in talks on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, and as Netanyahu is set to meet with Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, later in the day.

At the start of the hearing, Netanyahu’s defense team asked to hold a long recess at 12 p.m. to make time for the conversation with Witkoff.