Jerusalem Court Allows Disclosure of Closed-Door Witness in Netanyahu Trial

The Jerusalem District Court has permitted the publication of the identity of a witness who testified behind closed doors in the ongoing trial of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The witness, previously referred to only as "the associate" of Nir Hefetz, testified mainly about investigative procedures related to her case. Further details about her identity and testimony remain under a gag order.

Netanyahu's defense alleges that police used this associate in an improper investigative tactic designed to pressure Hefetz into cooperating with the investigation. They claim investigators deliberately arranged meetings between Hefetz and the associate, warning Hefetz that his family unit could be destroyed if he did not cooperate. The defense also contends that the associate was questioned despite no suspicion of wrongdoing and that there was no real investigative need for her testimony. However, investigators who have testified in the trial have denied these allegations of coercion or manipulation.

Separately, Eli Levi, former head of investigations at the Israel Securities Authority and one of the lead investigators in Case 4000, completed a renewed interrogation. Prosecutor Yehudit Tirosh questioned him on issues raised during defense cross-examination. Levi stated he did not recall many details, including a key meeting known as the "figs and wine meeting" between Shlomo Filber and Shaul Elovitch. The prosecution alleges this meeting discussed structural separation at Bezeq and regulatory matters, forming a central part of their claim that regulatory benefits were granted to Bezeq. Filber denied this interpretation, asserting the meeting focused on professional policy issues such as fiber optic deployment and infrastructure investments, not illicit benefits.