Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally stepped down from the witness stand on Wednesday at the Tel Aviv District Court, ending what the article describes as the longest and most talked-about testimony in Israeli legal history. His evidence, spread over 98 hearing days in the so-called Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000, came after a year and a half of legal drama and repeated clashes that drew national attention.
The trial has centered on corruption allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, tied to what prosecutors say was favorable media coverage. In Case 1000, the gifts affair, the state argued that Netanyahu and businessmen Arnon Milchan and James Packer were in a quid pro quo relationship. Netanyahu rejected that, calling it a deep friendship, and mocked the allegations by saying, “I confess, I ate pasta and schnitzel there.” He said the prosecution was “hunting a person, not investigating an offense.”
In Case 2000, the Netanyahu-Mozes affair, Netanyahu portrayed Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon “Noni” Mozes as a powerful political rival rather than a deal partner. He said, “I fought fiercely to block the law,” and insisted Mozes’ proposals were worthless to him. His lawyers also argued that police misled Mozes during questioning, prompting judges to note the weight of the evidence. Netanyahu said he wanted to change the “DNA of the media,” not receive a flattering article.
In Case 4000, which Netanyahu called the most serious, he denied the prosecution’s “instruction meeting” theory involving state witness Shlomo Filber. He said the claim was fabricated, Filber acted on his own, and Walla was a “marginal and hostile” site where only routine public relations work was done. He repeatedly described the prosecution’s claim of unusual media “benefits” as an invented construct.
Netanyahu’s closing remarks were combative. He called the past decade “a decade of hell,” accused the justice system of being used for political ends, and said investigators targeted him, his wife and his son to bring down a sitting prime minister. He said, “You stitched up a case, but the truth will come out,” and expressed confidence in a full acquittal. The trial now moves to the defense stage, with about 100 additional witnesses expected before the court rules on the prosecution’s case.
