The hearing in the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened in at the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday, the 71st day of testimony
Cross-examination questioning resumed by prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh in Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla affair, considered the most serious of the three cases against the prime minister. Netanyahu is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, allegations he has repeatedly denied.
At the heart of Case 4000 is the prosecution’s claim that Netanyahu granted regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of shekels to Bezeq, then controlled by Shaul and Iris Elovitch, in exchange for favorable and tailored coverage on the Walla news website. According to the indictment, Netanyahu and members of his family - with his knowledge - relayed specific demands regarding coverage of the prime minister and his political rivals, which were then passed down within Walla’s editorial hierarchy.
Defense attorney Amit Hadad updated the bench at the start of the hearing that Wednesday’s hearing would need to be shortened.
This is a developing story.