The trial involves three separate criminal cases. In the first of these, the so-called Case 1000, Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust, having allegedly received gifts of expensive cigars, as well as champagne and jewelry for his wife, Sara. The total value of these gifts is around $200,000. The generous benefactors were Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan — an Israeli billionaire who resides in the United States — and Australian media mogul James Packer.
The prosecution maintains that in exchange for these gifts, Netanyahu used his status as prime minister to help Milchan with his business interests. This includes pressuring Israel’s Ministry of Finance into handing out tax exemptions to Milchan, trying to lift government regulation to allow for Milchan to expand his control over Israeli television companies, and using his influence to extend Milchan’s US visa.
Case 2000 also involves charges of fraud and breach of trust. The prosecutors maintain that Arnon Mozes, the owner of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s biggest-selling daily newspaper, had attempted to bribe Netanyahu. According to the allegations, Netanyahu negotiated with Mozes to receive better coverage in the paper for himself and his family in exchange for promoting legislation that would inhibit the circulation of Yedioth Ahronoth’s biggest rival, a free daily newspaper.
Case 4000, the most severe of the three, charges Netanyahu directly with bribery. The allegations are that the prime minister promised regulatory favors to Shaul Elovitch, the owner of the Bezeq telecommunications company, in exchange for positive media coverage for Netanyahu and his wife on the news website Walla, owned by Elovitch. The attorney general has estimated that these illicit dealings benefited Elovitch to the tune of five hundred million dollars.
As a result of Netanyahu’s corruption trial, major protests erupted in 2020, continuing…
Auteur: Uri Weltmann
