The prosecution had concealed material from the defense ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, defense attorney Amit Hadad accused at the Tel Aviv District Court Wednesday in a heated exchange with his counterparts that devolved in both sides charging that the other was undermining the rule of law.
Hadad had highlighted communications between then-Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog and ex-Walla CEO Ilan Yeshua about changes to an article about the future president’s speech, comparing the exchange to a request by co-defendant Iris Elovitch to Yeshua to depoliticize an article about Netanyahu’s visit to the US Congress.
The prime minister argued that if he had engaged in such an exchange, it would have been treated as unusual, but with other politicians, such communications were not minded. Hadad remarked that the communications between Herzog and Yeshua were deliberately concealed by the prosecution.
The prosecution objected, saying Hadad was making a statement and not asking Netanyahu a question. The prosecutor also charged that Hadad was attacking the rule of law with his denigration of the legal system, to which Hadad retorted that he agreed that the prosecution was concerned with ruling and it was the indictment that was an assault on the rule of law.
The prosecution said Hadad’s comments were inappropriate for the courtroom. Netanyahu also said investigators had undermined the rule of law by extorting and threatening people into becoming state’s witnesses.He also made a puzzling comment – either stating that “rule of law, there isn’t” or that instead of rule of law, there was a “rule of enema.” When asked to clarify which one he said, Netanyahu only grinned.
Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman accepted the objections of the prosecution regarding Hadad making a statement rather than asking Netanyahu a question and told Hadad that such contentions about the indictment had been argued before and he should continue on. Hadad continued to press the point about the prosecution’s alleged concealment of materials, arguing with the judge, who warned him, “You are crossing the line.”
Regularly received negative news coverage
During the Wednesday hearing, Hadad continued to present Walla articles to Netanyahu to demonstrate how he had regularly received negative news coverage on the website, in contradiction with the prosecution’s theory that he had a deal with co-defendant and ex-Walla owner Shaul Elovitch for positive news coverage in return for the advancement of beneficial government policies.
Netanyahu said he didn’t bother speaking to Elovitch about changes to articles on his outlet, because he saw no point in such an exercise. Comparing Walla to Soviet propaganda, Netanyahu said the outlet was adamantly against him and the only way to change its coverage was to change the staff, which Elovitch didn’t do.
“There is not a straight thing out of the crooked timber of Walla,” Netanyahu said in English, paraphrasing philosopher Immanuel Kant.
The remarks came in response to 2015 requests from Elovitch to then-Walla CEO Yeshua, in which the co-defendant asked Yeshua to change an article about then-president Barack Obama’s reaction to Netanyahu’s Congress speech.
Netanyahu said he had not asked Elovitch to make any changes. In another instance, Elovitch’s wife told Yeshua that the website had not been balanced for a long time, but Netanyahu insisted he did not make any requests in that conversation. Iris Elovitch requested the coverage of Netanyahu’s trip be straightened out.
Communications between the Netanyahu camp and Walla were not unusual, Hadad argued, presenting exhibits that demonstrated that Walla was one of many outlets requested to cover a 2015 right-wing political rally.
NETANYAHU CONFIRMED to Hadad that he did not have to make “demands” from other outlets to cover an event that was considered “unusual” for Walla to do. Elovitch had asked the outlet to give the story a push, but Netanyahu denied asking him to do so.
Hadad also highlighted that some of the choices of pictures to accompany the article presented the rally in a poor light, including a photograph of a participant who wore a shirt that asked if the far-right terrorist “[Meir] Kahane was right.” Netanyahu said that the “bad” photograph tried to present everyone as Kahane supporters, when in reality there were only a handful of people present.
Judge Moshe Bar-Am said the line of inquiry to the Israeli leader about the repetitive exhibition of Walla articles had exhausted itself, with Hadad reminding that the limit of 13 more hearings could be revisited. Bar-Am said this was only if circumstances had changed. Hadad assured that he would soon shift to discussion of conflict of interest issues surrounding Netanyahu’s relationship with the Elovitch family.
Netanyahu said his corruption indictments invented a new category of conflict of interest because his relationship with Elovitch and his wife wasn’t close. He argued that the issue of conflict of interest arose when there was a close relationship and the ability to impact the person’s affairs, and while he was dealing with matters related to Elovitch’s Bezeq telecommunications company, he insisted he was only an acquaintance of Elovitch.
The prime minister warned that if such relationships were described as conflict of interest, it would endanger many politicians who have relationships with journalists.
With the trial occurring the same day as the funerals of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, the event was not far away from the minds of those in the courtroom. Netanyahu wore an orange tie, and security lanyards were colored orange, in memory of the ginger-haired babes. As his 13th testimony began, Netanyahu requested that they hold a minute of silence for the murdered hostage family. Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman rejected the proposal.
“Today, as we accompany Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, on their final journey, I believe it is appropriate for us to stand for a moment of silence,” Netanyahu said.
“We all remember. We will now continue with the testimony,” the judge said.The next testimony is set to be held on Monday.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.