Police came after Harow to get to Netanyahu, ex-aide testified
Harow faced fraud and breach of trust charges, but made a plea bargain to testify against his former boss.
By MICHAEL STARR State Witness Ari Harow, accompanied by his wife, arrives to testify in the trial against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a court hearing, at the District Court in Jerusalem on May 10, 2023(photo credit: NOAM REVKIN FENTON/FLASH90)
Police investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ex-chief of staff Ari Harow were motivated by attempts to make a corruption case against Netanyahu, he testified on Wednesday in his second day on the stand as state's witness.
Netanyahu Attorney Amit Haddad asked Harow if he felt that the case against him was a stich up, hoping that if they pressured him he might share something about Netanyahu. Harow answered in the affirmative.
"You were a means and not an end," said Haddad on the first day of cross-examination of Harow.
Harow faced fraud and breach of trust charges, but made a plea bargain to testify against his former boss. After his testimony, he is set to serve six months of community service and pay a NIS 700,000 fine.
Another day of cross-examination of Harow is expected before UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan is to testify on Monday.
Harow testified on Tuesday on Netanyahu's Case 2000 and Case 1000 corruption trials. Case 2000, the Yediot Aharonot-Yisrael Hayom Affair, alleges that Netanyahu sought to weaken Yisrael Hayom in return for positive coverage from Yediot Aharonot.
State Witness Ari Harow arrives to testify in the trial against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a court hearing, at the District Court in Jerusalem on May 9, 2023 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Netanyahu feared Likud's election loss
Under examination from the prosecution, Harow testified that Netanyahu felt that without an agreement in which Yediot Aharonot publisher Arnon Mozes, the Likud would lose the 2015 election.
Harow said that there were several meetings between Netanyahu and Mozes that he organized. Some were held at the prime minister's house, as it allowed them to speak discreetly. Harow alleged that Netanyahu had asked him to secretly record two of these conversations.
Mozes allegedly wanted legislation to limit his paper's competitor. When a law that effectively only targeted Yisrael Hayom came before the Knesset, Harow said that he conveyed a message to Mozes that seemed to indicate that both sides were taking part in a related transaction.
The law wasn't passed, and Harow said that Netanyahu sought to facilitate the sale of Yediot to a more sympathetic owner.
On Case 1000, known as the Gifts Affair, Harow said that Business tycoon Arnon Milchan had given the Netanyahu family gifts, and later asked for the prime minister's help with a US visa. The defense denied that there was a connection between the gifts and the plea for help.
